Vital Pearl Jam

The first time I saw Pearl Jam was in 1992 in NYC with my best friend. We had no idea what to think. They shared the bill with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins. Each band had a personal impact to me. This was the second time I saw the Chili Peppers and they were great. The Smashing Pumpkins were good too and I would see them two more times in the future. Pearl Jam though was a band that came out of nowhere. When they took the stage and played about an hour and half I was struck on how much energy that had. I heard their first CD and was in awe on how well these songs came off live. They had a lot to show off and I was hooked. I wanted to see them again. Well, during that tour I got my wish. I saw them one other time and it took four years to see them again.

Pearl Jam has many things going for them. There music is raw and full of energy. Even better is the fact that they mixed it up with really great fast songs and then some slow songs. They even did one cover of Neil Young. The way they played that made people think they wrote that one too. In the four years I did not see them they became the hottest ticket item. I had friends who went to later shows telling me how great they were. I kept on telling them that I already saw them and hope (with luck) to see them again. Even my father thought they were good. What he liked was Eddie Vedder's voice. He thought it was fresh and original. Something you don't hear is a good voice he told me. All these singers, you can barely make out what they are saying or screaming. He had a maturity about him my father said later on.



In the time that I did not see them for four years I picked up the albums and would closely listen to them. Each had expanded on the album before it. The song writing got better and the band really gelled. It was excitement every time they put something out. I would hear it on the radio and just love what they were doing. My friend told me one day that he liked the band because of Jeff Ament. Since my friend was a bass player he thought Jeff's playing was very good and above average for a rock bass player. I could not agree more. I liked the two guitar sounds and as a whole they were great.

I saw them a few more times and I have to say they were getting better every time I saw them. The music was getting better and more mature like a seasoned piece of meat. I liked the progress of of even the older songs. When they debuted a song from their early catalog they played it well, but later on that same song took a new life. It sounded like they re-arranged or even added a fuller sound to it. Songs that sounded simple, now sounded a bit more complex. Eddie's voice got stronger and the rest of the band got better and better. I was in awe with how they pulled it all off and made some new people Pearl Jam fans.



Now the hard part of all this was to pick a Pearl Jam album. The first three are very well done. They have a top notch quality of them. They keep Rock and Roll alive. I always have been a fan of personal growth in any band. My music love is a band that actually can show personal progress in anything they do. Pearl Jam is good at that. The music from Ten sounds wonderful and fresh, but they build on that fresh sound. The words of Eddie Vedder are clear and wonderful he makes it direct and to the point. My favorite part of him.

Restless soul, enjoy your youth
Like muhammad hits the truth
Can't escape from the common rule
If you hate something, don't you do it too...too...
Small my table, a sits just two
Got so crowded, i can't make room
Oh, where did they come from? stormed my room!
And you dare say it belongs to you...to you...
This is not for you
This is not for you
This is not for you
Oh, not for you...ah, you...
...scream...my friends...don't call me...
...friends, no they don't scream...
...my friends don't call...my friends don't...
All that's sacred comes from youth
Dedication, naive and true
With no power, nothing to do
I still remember, why don't you...don't you...
This is not for you
This is not for you
This is not for you
Oh, never was for you...fuck you...
This is not for you...
Oh, this is not for you...yeah, you...
This is not for you...
Oh, not for you...
Oh, you...



My choice was Vitalogy because of those great qualities. There is growth, and personal reflection and most of all a classic Pearl Jam. The music one minute could be great at rocking out or there could be moments of just wonderful controlled chaos. There darkness works great and should be listed to with great intent. I like that they show this kind of vulnerability and the fact they can now with this album not be put in a specific area. Thanks to its stripped-down, lean production, Vitalogy stands as Pearl Jam's most original and uncompromising album. Pearl Jam are at their best when they're fighting, whether it's Ticketmaster, fame, or their own personal demons.

I would recommend this album for the music and words. Every song has some kind of wonderful yarn that not many great bands can pull of. Sure songs like "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me." and "Pry To" could be throwaways, but the rest of the album is just so great and fun. Take a listen to an artist who is beyond words a great band and when you have time even listen to the lyrics. Eddie tells the best stories. Enjoy!

American As Apple Pie CASH

My Johnny Cash listening started at an early age. The classic rock that my best friends mother loved was lightly salted with some rebellious Johnny Cash. She would yell out his lyrics at every chance she could. She told me once that Johnny Cash was an institution and should be taught in all the schools. I stupidly asked what subject matter and she quickly told me history. His story alone is the stuff of legend. She gave me a tape of some of his best music and I would put it in my tape player and listen with such intent. My mind did not what to think, but it sure made good conversation with her when I asked her about him.

I remember those ideas and thoughts about Johnny Cash when she died. I remember a lot of great things about the advice about music, people, things, life and anything she could tell me. She knew that I would listen without question. She knew I would carry that wisdom to my adulthood and if she was alive today she would love my eagerness to learn and fight back for the wrongs in the world. Johnny Cash did the same thing. He did this all his life. He wanted to know why and why not. His greatness was his voice and choice of words. That's what make Johnny Cash one of the best. American Recordings include five songs he wrote. Those songs have a great Cash feel to them. His stamp is pretty clear. Here is an example with a song called "Drive On"

I got a friend named Whiskey Sam
He was my boonierat buddy for a year in Nam
He said is my country just a little off track
Took 'em twenty-five years to welcome me back
But, it's better than not coming back at all
Many a good man
I saw fall And even now,
every time I dream I hear the men
and the monkeys in the jungle scream

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me , but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on

I remember one night,
Tex and me Rappelled in on a hot L.Z.
We had our 16's on rock and roll
But, with all that fire,
was scared and cold
We were crazy, we were wild
And I have seen the tiger smile
I spit in a bamboo viper's face
And I'd be dead , but by God's grace

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me, but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on

It was a real slow walk in a real sad rain
And nobody tried to be John Wayne
I came home, but Tex did not
And I can't talk about the hit he got
I got a little limp now when
I walk Got a little tremolo when
I talk But my letter read from Whiskey Sam
You're a walkin' talkin' miracle from Vietnam

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me, but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on



Rick Rubin simply set up some recording equipment in Cash's Tennessee cabin and recorded him singing a set of songs accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. The result is an album that captured the glorious details of Johnny Cash's voice and allowed him to demonstrate just how emotionally powerful an instrument he possessed.(AM) Even his covers, which are there are eight show that powerful statement that Rick Rubin set up. His version of Nick Lowe's "The Beast In Me" or Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire" make a mark like no other. They really do make some great image that I could never get out of my head.

It's tough to pick just one album of Johnny Cash. I picked American Recordings for the reason that was the first Johnny Cash I bought new. I had the classics on album that I found at tag sales and record stores. I remember when I got the cassette and played it in the car all the time. It never left the car for about six months and every time I heard it i realized how powerful the guitar and voice really are. Take the time and hear a man who's one of the most important people in American music. His story is amazing and his music is more amazing.



American Recordings became a critical sensation and a commercial success, though it was overrated in some quarters simply because it reminded audiences that one of America's greatest musical talents was still capable of making compelling music, something he had never stopped doing even if no one bothered to listen. (AM) Still, American Recordings did something very important -- it gave Cash a chance to show how much he could do with a set of great songs and no creative interference, and it afforded him the respect he'd been denied for so long, and the result is a powerful and intimate album that brought the Man in Black back to the spotlight, where he belonged. (AM)

There is Bad Sign When Albert King Plays Guitar

I have an old book that does a great job of recommending albums from the 1960's. I used to read it all the time and figure what I needed to save my money for next time I went to the record store. This was good for everything from a Moody Blues album to a Jefferson Airplane album to a Beatles album. I would check off the album when I bought it and then rate the album compared to the book. I wanted to see how accurate their overview of the album compared to mine. I was looking in this book for some sixties blues albums. They devoted a chapter to this era and mentioned all the important finds. They mentioned the British Blues of John Mayall and Cream. They mentioned the Paul Butterfield, Johnny Winter and Electric Flag. Then they mentioned the true blues of the 60's. They mentioned the Son House and B.B. King's Live at the Regal and Mississippi John Hurt and then they got to Albert King. I did not know much about his music. I actually heard only his cover of "Born Under A Bad Sign." Further research even he did not right it.

I read the review in the book and really thought that I must own it. I wanted to hear it from a true blues person. What got me on this blues collection was the Robert Johnson box set. It made me realize that there is more music out there that I have not really listened to. Blues was something I needed to hear. It would be a a shame that I did not explore that genre fuller. I mean Eric Clapton talked about it as one his favorite musical genres. Even artists like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Rolling Stones and countless others admitted their love of the Blues. I needed to seek out some of that stuff. I wanted to see what was so damn good.



I only had a few blues albums growing up. I had the Robert Johnson Complete Recordings Box Set and also had the B.B. King Live at the Regal. I knew I needed more to round out the collection. After a few record store visits I added Paul Butterfield's East West and The Best of John Lee Hooker. It did not look like I was going to add any more. I wanted to find the essentials. The book did a good job, but I wanted to see what else was out there. I decided to watch the PBS Special on the blues. After watching the special I bought the book that went along with it. The book did a good job of helping me fine other music to listen to. I went back to my old standby and looked in there. There were two albums I wanted to hear. The Son House Father of the Delta Blues and Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign. Sure there were many others, but the book mentioned these two as must listens for now.

It became pretty tough to find both. I was about to give up when a friend at the record store made me a tape copy of both. He had the Son House on record and a copy of the Albert King on tape. He told me to judge for myself. I loved both because they were honest and very good. Each listen brought out a better appreciation for what I needed to listen to and what to expect from the Blues genre. The Albert King had a who great band backing him and later on I found out it was none other then Booker T. and the MG's. It was fun and exciting. The Son House had a very young Ry Cooder and was very Delta Blues sounding. I was happy that I got to hear both of these classic Blues albums.



A few years ago I picked up the re-issue of Born Under A Bad Sign and it was as fresh as I remember hearing the cassette. It brought back a lot of memories. This album brought a ton of respect to the modern rock world. It is still considered the album that got many people like Eric Clapton, SRV, and others into the world of Blues or even Blues Rock. Few blues albums are this on a cut-by-cut level; the songs are exceptional and the performances are rich, from King's dynamic playing to the Southern funk of the MG's. It was immediately influential at the time and, over the years, it has only grown in stature as one of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time. An album that should be part of your collection too. Enjoy this wonderful gem!

The Quest of Michael Brecker!

The first time I heard Michael Brecker was when I first started at my community college. I became friends with a classmate in class who loved Jazz. He did not really listen to a lot of popular music. He loved Jazz because he had a saxophone and he said there really was no reason to listen to pop music. We both became friends and we still are to this day. His music world was not much different then mine. He stayed away from pop music for a number of reasons. It was crap was one response I got from him. Another was that he really did not see any artist out there that really was worthy of his attention. I on the other hand got rid of all my notions what to listen to after High School. I took the stuff I listened to and decided to leave them on the side of the road. I still listened to some Classic Rock, but I started listening to Jazz, Classical, Avante-Garde and Experimental music. All the ideas what I should be listened to was not in my range of hearing. I was in a new part of my life and rightly so I should turn the chapter on what I should hear. This friend got me into a bunch of Jazz and for that I thanked him.

Later on in our friendship I asked him why he dug Michael Brecker? He told me that he had this Electronic thing called a Ewi and to him that was a marvel. It was like a saxophone synth sound that when blown has a signature sound. He gave me a few of his albums that had this sound to them. I was amazed how it did sound and the fact that he used it in good taste with the music. It did not sound like it did not belong. It was done with class. He took me to see Michael Brecker perform twice and each time I was shaking my head on how great he was.



I returned the favor one cold and snowy January day in 1997. I called him up and told him that I am going to a concert about an hour away and I want him to come. I told him I got tickets for Brecker and I want someone else to come along. My friend remembered the album that he was promoting. It had a great cast of musicians. These people included Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, McCoy Tyner and the great percussionist Don Alias. On the way up on this day we ran into a snow storm. At that time I was not good in snow nor was I about to take a chance, but a promise was just that a promise. We got into town and I went to the box office to see if this concert was still going on. They told me that the band was still in town. They told me that they could not give away who was playing with him, but the guy at the ticket office told me that he was doing a private solo thing at the record store in town. He handed me a few passes to that. We decided to go. We braved the weather. We got there and Michael came to the front of the store and made an announcement. He told us that the band is here, and we will be taking requests for tunes and he also announced the band for the evening. That night in a small 150 seat club was the same lineup on the album. We looked at each other and were in shock that the high caliber of musicians we heard on the CD were going to the stuff live.

The funny part of the solo show was that Michael told all of us that he found out that the 10pm band canceled so he was informed that he could play a longer set. The three hour show was one of the best shows I heard in my life. The ride home felt like it would have been our last show ever, but we still went, and it was worth every penny for a small price of $25.00. My friend thanked me for the best show he saw. Little did he know that in the future we saw other artist like Ornette Coleman, Charles Lloyd, Bill Bruford Earthwork's, Pat Metheny, and so many other Jazz greats. The Brecker show proved an all star band does not need to get in the way of egos.



On the way to work one day in 2006 I was listening to the radio and they mentioned that Michael Brecker had Leukemia. I was a bit heart broken. A man of such great importance has this disease. This cannot be true. When I got home from work I called my friend who I went to the show with and told him the bad news. He took it pretty hard. Brecker meant a lot to us. He played on some great albums. He was on a great Pat Metheny album called 80/81. He had his own albums that really defined a Jazz world that needed his music. The DJ told us the listeners that Michael is working on a new album with another all star cast. This included Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, John Patitucci, and Jack DeJohnette. It was sad to see him go through this.

In January 2007 Michael Brecker passed away at the age of 57. He has been heard on over 700 albums and guests on artists like Steely Dan, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Aerosmith, Frank Zappa, Frank Sinatra and so many others. His album Pilgrimage is his last and one of his best. With the all stars in place they made an album that to this day sound so fresh that it could be put out ten years from now and still sound so great. With only nine songs on the album the album is just about 80 minutes long. My only wish is to hear what they threw away. The song "Tumbleweed." Most of the rest of the program consists of uptempo and medium-tempo burners that swing with a powerful sense of urgency and life, and precious little foreshadowing of the tragedy that all involved knew was soon to come. This is a brilliant and inspiring album -- and would be whether or not it had anything to do with the death of one of the great figures in American jazz. is still the highlight of the album. Enjoy!

Beachen With Neil

The day I became a Neil Young fan is the day my uncle took me aside when I was in 8th grade and told me that I should be listening to him more then anything. I was listening to Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. He told me I have to listen to someone with heart. That heart tells the truth. The truth of life, love and a person who knows and talks about pain. A person who been through a lot in life. My uncle handed me a few Neil Young albums and I remember taking out Everybody Knows This is Nowhere from the library. I would sit down and really listen to him. His music was not fantasy like Pink Floyd or King Crimson. His music was not bright or cheerful like the Beatles. His music was truthful and to the point.

Neil Young was a person I knew I could see live and when he came with Crazy Horse. My uncle would tell me stories how great he was to see live. He told me he saw Neil with Crazy Horse in 1975 and how speechless he felt after the show. He told me it was like being hit by a Mac truck. I took that praise when I saw him in 1991. I took my father because he did not want me get around Hartford all alone. Three of my friends went with us. My dad who told me he too went with my uncle to see Neil. I asked him if he felt the same way. Sadly, my dad told me it was great but a bit loud. All in all, that night my father once again had the same feeling. He hated the opening acts, but thought Neil was great. That was my first of over a dozen times seeing Neil Young.



I hear some people
been talkin' me down,
Bring up my name,
pass it 'round.
They don't mention
happy times
They do their thing,
I'll do mine.
Ooh baby,
that's hard to change
I can't tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.
Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.
I remember
the good old days,
Stayed up all night
gettin' crazed.
Then the money
was not so good,
But we still did
the best we could.
Ooh baby,
that's hard to change
I can't tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.
Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.



When choosing what to write about for Neil Young's first blog was easy, because that was the first album I ever heard of Neil Young. What made it tougher was the rule I had with the blog from the start. The rule was one album, one artist. I decided to change that rule slightly. I decided that if an artist is in another group, like Neil was in CSN&Y or had another group he was with, like Crazy Horse, then I would find solo work to talk about. I did that with Skip Spence from Moby Grape and I also did it with Gram Parsons. Neil is tough because there are so many great ones to talk about.

I chose On The Beach for a reason, This album was one of the last album of his collection I bought. It took me years actually to understand it. I had on LP when I was in High School, but I actually never listened to with such seriousness or with open ears. I had two songs on my Decade album that were from On The Beach, but I just passed them up as another song. They were great, but they did not hit me. Songs that made an impression were "Like a Hurricane," "Cortez the Killer", "Down By The River", "Southern Man" and others. Then one day that changed when I picked up the copy of On The Beach. I was doing my radio show. I decided to do a four song set of obscure Neil. I had two already picked out, but I needed two more. I selected "Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)" The next track I chose was "Pocahontas" then I decided to go deeper. I grabbed my Time Fades Away and put on "Last Dance." I looked everywhere for the last song, but it was starring me in the face. I grabbed On The Beach and picked "See The Sky About To Rain." After the set I went on to other things, but what struck me funny was the phone calls with people asking me to play more obscure Neil Young. So for a few weeks I decided to have fun.



Well you know I mention all the time on what albums to buy and I keep telling you how good they are, but this one is a classic. It's Neil Young at one of his best. Neil is a great musician. His lyrics are great and On The Beach is no exception. He was in a difficult period in his life, but this album is quite good. The barbs were mixed with humor and even affection, as Young seemed to be emerging from the grief and self-abuse that had plagued him for two years. But the album was so spare and under-produced, its lyrics so harrowing, that it was easy to miss Young's conclusion: he was saying goodbye to despair, not being overwhelmed by it. (AM) Check it out. Enjoy!

Ra Lanquidity

Of all the jazz musicians, Sun Ra was probably the most controversial. He did not make it easy for people to take him seriously, for he surrounded his adventurous music with costumes and mythology that both looked backward toward ancient Egypt and forward into science fiction. In addition, Ra documented his music in very erratic fashion on his Saturn label, generally not listing recording dates and giving inaccurate personnel information, so one could not really tell how advanced some of his innovations were. (AM)

My Sun Ra experience was as an impressionable 18 year old kid hearing him on the radio on the way home from school. I heard this DJ play his music. It happens to be that DJ worked at the record store I used to go to. I pulled into the store and asked my other friend about our mutual friend who moonlights as a DJ. My friend told me that he has been DJing for years and I should take notes on what he plays because that is the stuff I should be buying. This friend who was a DJ played all kinds of stuff that I now admire or listen to. He was a big fan of Fela Kuti and all the time he would play his music on his show. My friend would play stuff I would need to have in my collection.



The next time I saw my friend who did the radio show I asked him about all the stuff he played. He was surprised that there was a listener. He said when he does his show he usally gets a college kid call and ask for something stupid or he gets someone from the public asking what crap is he playing. My friend could not remember everything he played, but he went over to a unique section at the record store called Out To Lunch. He told me that this is the area where he gets most of his music. In this section were artist like John Zorn, Magma, Fela Kuti, Anthony Braxton, and one Sun Ra. He told me that he wanted to grab a large group of artists from this section because this is the music he likes. He mentioned to me that If I like that stuff then I should check out his band. He gave me a list of dates and places. Two other people I knew played with him and told me that the band is a mix of Fusion, World, Experimental, Rock and Soundtrack music. The lineup had two keyboard players, two drummers, Upright or Electric Bass, Guitar, and once in a while a horn. It was as promised a really great show.

The next time I saw him he was grateful for me coming to see him and told me to listen to his show because he is going to be playing a lot more Sun Ra. The reason was simple he told me that the next time he was going to do a show it fell on Sun Ra's birthday. The music on his show was everything I could dream of for great music and the day he did Sun Ra was a great introduction to a great musician. That day he stuck to a later period of Sun Ra. Most of the music as he told the audience listening was from 1970-1990. It was some of the most interesting choices of music I ever heard.



One day my friend played some more some more Sun Ra from that time period and this time it struck a thought. I need to buy some. I tried to find out what he played but he did not go on the air and tell us. I asked him about the music the next day and he told me that most of the Sun Ra he played was very out of print and hard to find. I asked him how I could get a copy and he nicely and politely told me that it was hard to get and told me hope for the best if they ever got issued. He did offer to make a me a few Sun Ra tapes and I did take him up on it. The music I heard of Sun Ra was great. He split up four 90 minute cassettes into decades. Each tape was nicely represented with a wealth of Sun Ra music. I asked him for the music he played that day and the only thing he could remember was an album called Lanquidity. It was the first stuff I really did hear of his music. The four tapes I got from my friend were only the tip of the iceberg. In the age of burned CD's and MP3's I am sure I would have a lot more at my disposal.

So out of the 100 plus albums Sun Ra put out it's hard to pick just one. Even harder is he self released some stuff too. Those get lost in the shuffle. Even the album I recommend Lanquidity an original copy sells for anywhere between $150 and $300. It is easy to get in re-issue form and the CD is easy to get as well. It is one of the three albums that Allmusic considers his best work. Try this one on for size. It's a good way to start your Sun Ra collection and I am sure that this will get you more curious. Enjoy!

Beyond The Valley of the Cool Movie

When I became a movie snob it was quite early in my young adult life. I had a father who loved the classics. I started like them too. I went to my community college falling in love of the films that we mention that changed the way Western Cinema was done. Films like Bullitt with Steve McQueen. Another film that was my favorite was Manchurian Candidate. It's classic and dark black and white just would send shivers down my spine. Even better was the 60's Westerns. The movie Once Upon A Time In The West was what got me in to film music. There are so many movies to name that have a huge influence on what I watch or go see. I think film is one of my other favorite things to study.

"This is my happening and it freaks me out!" one of the many colorful quotes from the film called Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. I saw that one day a pay cable station was playing it and I taped it. I knew about it briefly from a film professor, but I did not know much. When my friend taped it he told me that he wanted to watch with me. He too had the same brief encounter. I am not sure what we got ourselves into, but we did one night. After the movie we were speechless and I really thought I stepped into a hole where I was not going to get out of. I loved the film, with the flashing music and the two B's. (Boobs and Babes). I decided to try this film on a few friends who never saw it, but were film majors. This time we spiced it up with some booze and some drugs. I stuck to the booze, and my friends stuck to the drugs or was it I stuck to the drugs and my friends stuck to the booze. I cannot remember Even this time was a little trippy for taste, but once again I had the same positive reaction.



Around the same time I saw that another Russ Meyer film was playing at the local Art-House cinema. I went with one of those friends and a film professor I knew. We loved it again, but this time I wanted the same cool music that I got when I saw Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. I sadly did not, but I did get Russ Meyer and his signature B's. As I continued my film studies I realized that these films are just wonderful, campy, and nudity. As I tried finding more of the Russ Meyer films it became more and more harder to go back to the wonderful feel of the Valley of the Dolls. What was even more of interest was the fact that film reviewer Roger Ebert was the screenwriter.

Over a few years I went back to school. This time I was more then a film buff, but a film love. I had the love of classics, new and old. I had a list of ten films that would be part of any person who took film seriously would understand. I often spoke about these classics to people who were in the film major at school. One day to break the ice at the radio station I invited a few people over for film night at my dorm. It was going to be a midnight showing of a few films. I decided to show a few of my favorite classics. This included Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. By the time 4am rolled around we were just about finished with the film. We all looked at the TV with anticipation of the ending. I won't give it away, but at 4am it sure came to a surprise to all of us. The film had a campy feel, but it also had a a great indelible stamp at 4am.



The soundtrack is really nothing new, but it does have a wonderful effect of remembrance if you saw the film. The music, like all soundtracks put you in a place where you see the film and and listen for the music and it fits quite well. The tattoo in the brain of the film does help. It's a movie that will stick with you like glue. Even if you are not a film guy watch it and just remember how this film really changed the course of American Cinema. Just listen to the soundtrack and laugh at the classic feel. It is a soundtrack of the time period. It's no Easy Rider, but hey it's great moment of 1970. Enjoy this wonderful trip to the past. Below are two wonderful quotes and a link to a page that has a great discussion on the film. Enjoy!



"In a scene like this you get a contact-high!"
"You're a groovy boy. I'd like to strap you on sometime."

http://www.gotterdammerung.org/film/russ-meyer/beyond-the-valley-of-the-dolls.html