Last Eight Downloads for the Month
I had a devil of a time with eMusic. Their basic plan furnishes customers with 30 downloads a month, and I used up 22 of them this month on a Jackie Wilson compilation. Since most albums have 10-20 tracks, what to do with the remaining eight? Browsing eMusic for individual songs is an interesting experience. Overall they’re very strong on Indie/Alternative rock and not so strong in other genres — but persistent digging around reveals a lot of little treasures (one could get lost for hours exploring the weirdness of the Folkways catalog alone). Here’s what I found:
- The Stone Canyon — “MacArthur Park” (from MacArthur Park, late ’60s) I was craving a new version of this Jimmy Webb chestnut, and luckily eMusic had 31 versions to choose from. I might have picked the wrong one, however. The Stone Canyon must have been one of those phantom groups that record labels created to sell cheap records in drugstores; their rendition has a loose ‘n funky Blood, Sweat & Tears vibe but it’s generic and badly arranged. Paging Richard Harris!
- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — “Tell Me” (from 100 Days, 100 Nights, 2007) The first time I heard a Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings song, I thought it was some undiscovered soul nugget from the ’60s. The fact that they’re a group very much in the here and now astonished me. The band also backed Amy Winehouse on her critically adored recent album, but I enjoy Sharon Jones’ voice even more since it seems more “real” in a way I can’t really pinpoint. Among the songs on 100 Days, 100 Nights, “Tell Me” was my favorite; they go for an Aretha-’67 sound here and totally succeed.
- Jens Lekman — “I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You” and “Sipping On Sweet Nectar” (from Night Falls Over Kortedala, 2007) Lekman must be the flavor-of-the-month indie pop artist at eMusic, since this album is getting the big push at the site. I was pleasantly surprised; his wry lyrics and cute melodies come across like the Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt with a serious ’60s pop fixation (notice a pattern here?). I picked “Leaving You” for its ingenious production which neatly quotes the piano riff from the Fifth Dimension’s “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Nectar” for its amiable disco-ish swirl. Good stuff.
- Jaye P. Morgan — “Fascinated” (from Jaye P. Morgan Lately!, 2005 reissue of a 1983 LP) How could I resist a song that the All Music Guide descibes as “a textbook summary of soft rock clichés of the early ’80s, from the trebly, over-mic’ed synths to a guitar solo that was almost certainly recorded by a man with feathered hair and aviator sunglasses wearing an open-collared shirt and designer jeans.” Ms. Morgan actually delivers a fun performance on a pop-lite confection with definite retro-’60s shadings (think the Pointer Sisters’ “He’s So Shy”).
- Planet 3 featuring Jay Graydon — “I Don’t Want to Say Goodnight” (from Music from the Planet, 2005) Generic Hollywood Power Ballad to the rescue! A super-slick production that reminds me of unsubtle late ’80s Kenny Loggins or Chicago — with screaming guitars, big percussion and an overly histrionic singer who unfortunately lacks the personality of a Loggins or Cetera. This tune was recorded in 1989, but until recently Planet 3’s accompanying album only came out in Japan, where they appreciate stuff like this apparently. So, so awesome. I could imagine this song playing at the Beverly Hills 90210 senior prom, say, or during the climax of some fist-pumping action movie (actually it did appear on the Navy Seals soundtrack).
- Michael Sembello — “Automatic Man” (from Bossa Nova Hotel, 1983) Sembello’s follow up single to his monster hit “Maniac” didn’t do quite as well chartwise, but I can remember enjoying this one even more than the hit back in ‘83. Now it seems like a quaint yet bland little piece of electro-funk, but there ya go.
- Bettye Swann — “Make Me Yours” (from Make Me Yours, 1967) A good song and an R&B chart-topper, although eMusic’s version suffers from sound quality issues. I don’t think I’ve heard this one before, surprisingly enough. The production has a nice Motown-like swing and Swann’s honey-like voice is very appealing. I’ll have to check out more of her stuff.
Industrial Light and Magic
Trying to find a place to share some illustrations scanned from a 1966 issue of Fortune magazine, I started a new flickr group called Vintage Industry. I’m hoping the group members will make this into a virtual storehouse of great vintage industrial imagery — like the two below, which have that gross/cool “messy” painting technique so popular back then:
All Singing, All Snacking
Tonight I turn over the weblog to ask an important question — whatever happened to those completely unironic TV commercials that emulated movie musicals? Sure, they were corny, but 20-plus years later I still remember them which has to count for something. The mid-’80s jingle for Better Cheddars crackers, for example, is a song that I sometimes use to torment my s.o. (along with My Buddy and Figurines). The actor in this commercial deserved some kind of award for being able to perform this fabulously dorky tune straight-faced:
Although Kelloggs’ usage of the Broadway chestnut “Great Day” as a jingle back in the late ’70s/early ’80s is something I remember well, I almost forgot about this mini extravaganza utilizing the company’s kiddie cereal mascots. The animation is clearly a notch above the Saturday morning cartoons it once accompanied. I especially dug revisiting Tusk, the Cocoa Krispies elephant:
The old Toffifay candy commercial jingle is something that really offended me as a kid. “Too good for kids”? Whatever. The one I recall had a sparring old codger and little boy, but this one (featuring actress Tracey Gold before her Growing Pains fame) will suffice. Boy, what a shrieky, unappealing song. In the end, perhaps it’s better off that we’ve moved on:
Casino Security Footage Has More Excitement
Can’t say it’s much of a surprise: Viva Laughlin became the first scripted TV show of the new season to get the axe. I tuned into the pilot episode out of curiosity, but couldn’t get past the first 15 minutes or so — the show was so wrong on so many levels. The producers could have exploited the uniqueness of having characters burst out in song, but instead they seemed to be embarrassed by the thought of coming across as campy instead of embracing it wholeheartedly. The numbers came across as half-assed karaoke with actors singing along with pre-recorded pop hits — hey, at least Cop Rock had original songs. I also thought the main guy was a jerk, his kids were brats, and I couldn’t get past the casting of Twin Peaks cutie Madchen Amick as a mom with teenagers (although it does fit in with Hollywood’s latest screwy mandate that all moms must be young, thin and hot). Even Hugh Jackman’s big number was all boring, flashy editing.
Most of the Viva Laughlin criticism I’ve read centers on how much worse it came off than its British original, Viva Blackpool. That’s one show I’ll have to look into.
Book Review: Hand Job
Michael Perry’s Hand Job: A Catalog of Type gathers the work of 55 artists who, in rebellion against computers, excel in hand-drawn typography and design. I remember first noticing this trend in the opening credits to Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, with cast and crew names floating around in lettering mimicking the loopy and unpolished writing on a high school girl’s notebook. The designer of that sequence, Geoff McFetridge, appropriately enough counts among those featured in this book — a group that collectively draw their inspiration from vernacular sources like graffiti, homemade signage and, yep, notebook scribblings. The resulting pieces are a mixed bag, however. Some of the work is truly awe-inspiring or appealing in a scruffy way; others have the lunatic aimlessness of mental patient drawings. By and large, I liked it. It makes me wonder what I can do with just a pen or pencil and a scrap of paper. Judge for yourself — Perry’s website contains several spreads from the book.
Hand Job: A Catalog of Type is available now from Princeton Architectural Press. Buy at Amazon here.
The Search Is Over
What’s your opinion on videogames and patience? The culmination of months of saving has finally happened — I’m getting a Nintendo Wii! It’s mind boggling that, 11 months later, those things are still hard to come by (unless you’re willing to pay $100 more on eBay, which I’m not). Not a fan of camping out in front of stores, I used the Wii Tracker to find something online. It took several days of reloads and several failed attempts, but on Friday morning a small window opened where Circuit City had a bundled package available. It included a Wii console, remote, nunchuck controller and a choice of game. I furiously completed my order before it closed 10 minutes later — success! The package should be shipping early next week.
The bundled games Circuit City had to pick from were WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Madden NFL 07, Mario Party 8, some soccer game and a Pokémon game. I picked WarioWare since it looked like the most fun, easy to learn and best reviewed. What kind of (Wii or not) games do you like? Out of the ones available, I could think of only a few I’d want to own — The Simpsons Game and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Trilogy both look really cool. I think I’d want to check out Ninjabread Man because it has the greatest name and concept ever. Suggestions, anyone?
Carthay Circle Land, Here We Come
Al Lutz of MiceAge.com provides the skinny on the five year, $1.1 billion expansion for Disney’s California Adventure. A very much needed improvement, I’d say. We went to DCA a couple of years ago, and the experience was underwhelming to say the least. We saw everything we wanted to in a half-day, as opposed to the 2-3 days you need at Disneyland. Having the entrance re-themed to 1930s Los Angeles will be a big help, as opposed to the mishmash of poorly conceived junk they have now. I love the idea of having a replica of the Carthay Circle Theatre, site of many a classic film premiere, near the entrance. For once Disney is doing something right!
Peel a Wheelie
Wicked-cool artwork: Branded In The ’80s takes a look at Weird Wheels stickers, a kustom kar series that owes a big visual debt to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. I would’ve loved to have pasted these on my Trapper Keeper!
Lucille Ball in Meme
William tagged me with a television meme. So let’s turn our brains off and answer some questions, shall we?
1. What TV show have you seen every episode of?
I can answer this in two parts. During childhood I’m positively certain I’d seen every episode of such rerun staples as The Brady Bunch, Bewitched, Gilligan’s Island, I Dream of Jeannie and I Love Lucy. More recently I’ve seen all of Will & Grace, The Simpsons, South Park, and Sex and the City. I’m just about done with Six Feet Under on DVD, and once that’s over I’m going to tackle The Sopranos. I’ve also seen every episode of Faulty Towers, To the Manor Born, Firefly and Margaret Cho’s flop sitcom All-American Girl.
2. What show makes you laugh until you cry?
Nothing. I can honestly say that nothing on TV makes me laugh that hard.
3. What show do you wish had not been canceled?
For some reason, the only shows I can think of were from the ’80s — Police Squad! and ABC’s retro news program Our World (which died a quick death when they scheduled it opposite The Cosby Show). What else? Maybe Double Trouble, that show with Katey Sagal’s twin sisters. It would have been interesting to see if they made it in the fashion world!
4. What show do you wish WOULD be canceled?
Although I’m annoyed by all the daytime judge shows, the brainless reality “who can demean themselves the most”-a-thons, Deal Or No Deal, Law & Order/C.S.I. and their spawn, or anything on a shopping or religious channel, I know there’s a place for them and I wouldn’t wish them to be canceled. Okay, Nancy Grace on CNN Headline News can go.
5. Who is your favorite TV character, either past or present?
Lisa Simpson. Also, recently I re-viewed the Frank “Grimey” Grimes Simpsons episode and I can identify with him to an unnerving degree.
Sweet Chewy Nostalgia
Halloween candy flashback time! The temporarily renamed Neato Ghoulsville writes about Wrapples, the 1970s product for lazy people who crave a quick and easy caramel apple. I remember Wrapples really well — my father was a salesman for Kraft Foods back then, so we had a lot of them around the house. I used to wrap them cold around an apple, or better yet just eat them rolled up. I also liked to devour the single chocolate caramel Kraft used to insert in their bags of individually wrapped caramels. I wonder why they did that?
Good Grief!
It looks like Ford at Basic Hip Digital Oddio will be shutting down much of his site by the end of the year. Better enjoy stuff like Vertigo: Then and Now before they’re gone forever.
Also: Bill Watterson reviews the new Charles M. Schulz bio for The Wall Street Journal (thanks, Eric!). I can’t wait to check out this book. The fact that the Schulz family has denounced it makes the thing even more attractive.
Key West with Matt & Christopher
Well, it took a week, but the little website I made documenting our trip to Key West is finished. What else is there to say about the trip? It was enjoyable, despite the hot and muggy weather (I brought a pair of jeans but never wore them). The island is about as laid back and funky as its reputation suggests. Other observations:
- Although we did a lot, exploring the cemetery was one of my favorite activities — not only is it free, you get a nicely designed map detailing the backgrounds on some of the more notable inhabitants, and it had a lot of neat grave markers and tombs from contemporary times back to the early 1800s. Call me ghoulish, but that kind of stuff thrills me.
- Walking around: Duval street is Key West’s main thoroughfare, lined with hopping bars and about a million shops selling t-shirts with stupid slogans. Avoid it — unless you’re an alcoholic, the area has limited appeal. Also stay away from any hotels located directly on Duval. I liked the Historic Seaport Boardwalk along the island’s north side, however.
- Beaches: good luck since Key West is oddly lacking in decent beaches. We went to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park on the island’s west side, however, and that area has a good, if awfully pebbly, beach.
- Attractions: once at K.W. you might see some tacky looking ads in the tourist magazines for a butterfly house. Don’t be fooled, this is a gorgeous, dreamlike little indoor/outdoor walkway where butterflies float all around you. I took a ton of pictures. This is located near the south side (a.k.a. “the breeder section” as one local told us). Also recommended is the aquarium near Mallory Square, a modest and charming home for the local sea life built in the W.P.A. 1930s.
- Food: sorry, we don’t go to tourist magnets like Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville (I don’t even remember seeing it!). Bar none, the best meal we had there was at a Cuban restaurant called El Siboney, a hole-in-the-wall popular with the locals. Huge portions, great prices, yummy food and plenty of yellow rice with black beans. For seafood, check out BO’s fish wagon and its quintessentially Key West-ish outdoor dining area (lots of graffiti, battered license plates on the walls, wild chickens roaming the tables).
- Local TV: Strange, I know, but I loved checking out what south Florida had in the way of local TV. They had a channel there which aired seemingly every lo-fi public domain film ever uploaded to the internet. Old b&w serials, blurry cartoons, music videos, that sort of thing (at one point I even saw a computer cursor left on the screen!). They also had a station called WGAY, part of which included an old queen doing catty MST3K-style commentary on that ’50s movie where the scientist kept his girlfriend’s disembodied head alive. So funny.
- Snorkeling: I wish we could have gone snorkeling, but the winds were too high and nobody was going out. There’s always next time, however!
Rhapsody in Nitrate
There’s a fascinating thread going on the Criterion discussion boards — apparently someone has tracked down what might be the only surviving copy of F.W. Murnau’s lost silent 4 Devils in Tacoma, Washington of all places. The ensuing discussion on intellectual property is an interesting read, not to mention the excited reactions from film lovers. Hopefully this discovery is real and, far off, we’ll see a DVD release surface. (via Dave Kehr)
Name That Film on Flickr
Lately I’ve been delving into the Name That Film flickr group. It’s not just the fun of trying to guess the film stills captured off DVDs, but a lot of the images have a strange, surreal beauty (like the one above by frequent contributor Poletti). One can especially get a lot of interesting frames from the “in between” scenes minus any actors. I’ve done a few captures of my own, one of which was guessed within minutes of uploading.
39 and Lovin’ It
Today was my 39th birthday. Since I won’t have a Father’s Day or wedding anniversary, it’s the only date-exclusive holiday I have — and I’m grabbing it for all it’s worth. To paraphrase a famous cliché: I’m not getting older, I’m getting better. The celebrating started last Saturday when I received a mailed envelope of goodies from my friend Ion. He made me a special mix CD with a Warholized version of my own dorky high school yearbook photo on the cover. The mix includes songs by Bananarama, the Go! Team, Beck, Bread, Donny Osmond, and obscure ’60s Brits Sharon Tandy and Pickettywitch — which only goes to prove that Ion knows me all too well.
Later that night, Christopher gave me his wonderfully chosen gifts. He got me the hefty coffee table book Shop America: Midcentury Storefront Design 1938-1950, which is bursting with luscious painted renderings of glass and steel Streamline Moderne storefronts with chi-chi men and women milling about. Great stuff. He also got me the Disney Rarities DVD set, which has been on my Amazon Wish List for a long time. But that’s not all — he also surprised me with an older book called Hollywood Panorama. This was based on a mural that an artist named Bob Harman did in the early ’70s containing hundreds of cartoon portraits of old movie stars. We first got wind of this while watching Harman on an old To Tell The Truth episode; his work is both fascinating and bizarre at the same time. Check out this detail from the cover:
I also had a great Monday. The day was mostly spent working, but I did get to have a treat when my Mom came over for lunch. We got some Pei Wei to go and dined at home while listening to the ’40s satellite radio station. Doesn’t that sound sweet? I feel truly blessed to have such a great family and friends.
