#recorded in the mid-70's

[spilladabalia]

Ron Asheton's New Order - Sold For Cash Girl

[vertigoartgore]

Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (turning 50 today, feel old yet ?) movie poster by artist Richard Corben.

[kitwalkblr]

Omg I can't believe another unreleased Nihil song got leaked!!!

[cartermagazine]

Today We Honor Donna Summer

LaDonna Adrian Gaines better known as Donna Summer, was a singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s, and became known as the “Queen of Disco.”

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the U.S. Billboard chart.

Summer first rose to fame the mid-’70s, thanks to “Love to Love You Baby.” The song, with Summer’s whispered vocals and orgasmic groans helped define the mid-‘70s disco trend and hit No. 2 in 1976. Summer followed the song with such hits as “I Feel Love,” “Last Dance” and a disco-fied version of the Richard Harris hit “MacArthur Park,” which outdid Harris’ version by hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart. It was Summer’s first of four chart-toppers.

But with her 1979 album “Bad Girls,” Summer broke out of the disco mold as the genre, which had become renewed by the success of the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, was feeling a backlash. “Bad Girls” demonstrated Summer’s vocal and stylistic range and produced two No. 1 hits, “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls,” as well as a Top 10 ballad, “Dim All the Lights.”

And, in 1983’s “She Works Hard for the Money,” became a big radio hit.

Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said. “Her talent was a true gift to the music industry.”

CARTER™️ Magazine

[cuddlytogas]

it's possible I made an extended playlist to give context to the classical (non-technically speaking) music in OFMD, with the pieces listed in historical/chronological order, and in the context of their full pieces (mostly - I'm not literally going to put entire operas on there, but symphonies and concertos have mostly been finished)

and it's possible that that playlist is ten hours long

and it's possible you can find it on spotify right now, and that below the cut is the full chronology

(edit: corrections welcome btw!!!! i am by no means a music historian, nor have any higher level music education, just a lifelong association and interest <3 if you know better than me, PLEASE let me know so it can be more accurate!)

N: most of the Vivaldi pieces don't really have any dates I could find, so they're just sort of scattered through the first few decades of the 18th century. and yes, technically the opening Corelli isn't in there, but I think putting another La Folia in is important for the context of s2!

1700 - Arcangelo Corelli, Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op 5 No 12 "La Follia"

1703-6 - George Frederic Handel, Keyboard Suite No 4 in D Minor, HWV 437

? - Antonio Vivaldi, Cello Concerto in G Minor, RV 416

1711 - Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto No 11 in D Minor for Two Violins and Cello RV 565

1715 - Georg Philipp Telemann, Sonata for Violin and Basso Continuo in G Major TWV 41:G1

1718-20 - Antonio Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in G Minor Op 8

Early/mid C18 - Domenico Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in F Major, K 107

? - Antonio Vivaldi, Oboe Concerto in C, RV 452

1720s? - Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor, RV 531

1727 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156

1725-35 - Georg Philipp Telemann, Concerto for Recorder and Viola da Gamba in A Minor TWV 52:a1

? - Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in G Minor, RV 576

1730 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Orchestral Suite No 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

? - Antonio Vivaldi, Piccolo Concerto in A Minor, RV 445

? - Antonio Vivaldi, Trio Sonata in D Minor, RV 63, 'La Follia'

1738 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Harpsichord Concerto No 4 in A Major, BWV 1055

1738-9 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto for Harpsichord, Strings, and Continuo No. 5 in F Minor, BWV 1056

Early/mid C18 - Domenico Scarlatti, Keyboard Sonata in E Major, K 380

1741 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Goldberg Variations, BWV 988

1747 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Musical Offering, BWV 1079

1747-8 - George Frederic Handel, Concerto in F Major, No 16, HWV 305a

1773 - Mozart, Symphony No 25 in G Minor, K 183

1782 - Mozart, String Quartet No 14 in G Major, K 387

1795 - Beethoven, Piano Sonata No 2 in A Major, Op 2 No 2

1792 - Beethoven, Piano Sonata No 3 in C Major, Op 2 No 3

1780 - Mozart, Symphony No 34 in C Major, K 338

1786 - Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro (excerpts)

1810? - Beethoven, Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59: Für Elise

1811-12 - Beethoven, Symphony No 7 in A Major, Op 92

1826 - Franz Schubert, Ständchen (Serenade) "Horch, horch, die Lerch!" D 889

1827 - Franz Schubert, 4 Impromptus, Op 90, D 899

1833-4 - Felix Mendelssohn, Lieder Ohne Worte, Book 2, Op 30

1835 - Frédéric Chopin, 12 Études, Op 25 (excerpts)

1838 - Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen, Op 15 (excerpts)

1838 - Franz Liszt, arr., 12 Lieder von Franz Schubert, S 558, No 9

1842 - Frédéric Chopin, Waltz No 12 in F Minor, Op 70, No 2

1871 - August Wilhelmj, arr., Air on a G String

1874 - Giuseppi Verdi, Messa da Requiem (excerpts)

1878 - Antonín Dvořák, String Sextet in A Major Op 48

1888-91 - Claude Debussy, Two Arabesques, L 66

1890 - Claude Debussy, Rêverie, L 68

1888, 89, 90 - Erik Satie, Trois Gymnopédies, Gnossienne No 5, Trois Gnossiennes

[probablyasocialecologist]

Consider the fertilizer sector. The tripling of fertilizer prices in 2020-22 – which drove up food prices – was partly fueled by higher costs for nitrogen fertilizer, which reflected the rising price of natural gas. But new data from GRAIN/IATP show that leading firms hiked fertilizer prices well beyond what was needed to cover increased production costs, increasing their operating profits to 36%, even as they sold less product. The resulting profit ratios were three times higher than before the Ukraine war began, and well above the 13% average posted by S&P 500 firms. Global grain traders have similarly been able to translate tighter supplies into record profits. In mid-2022, grain multinational Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) recorded its highest-ever quarterly profits. Its rival Cargill also banked record profits, with total revenues soaring by 23%. Such profiteering is made possible by growing corporate concentration in the food and fertilizer sectors. ADM and Cargill are two of the four “ABCD” firms – along with Bunge and Dreyfus – that control an estimated 70-90% of the world grain market. Just four firms account for 75% of nitrogen-fertilizer production in the United States, and 72% of the potash-fertilizer market globally. Through decades of mergers and acquisitions, such firms have been able to expand their influence up and down the supply chain, while amassing huge amounts of market data. Now, a proposed $34 billion merger between Bunge and Viterra – the grain arm of the commodity giant Glencore – would mean further concentration of soybean and canola processing and distribution across the Americas.

[those70scomics]

Fictober Day 9: "don't listen to me, listen to them"

That '70s Show Fanfiction

Hyde paced W.B.'s office at Grooves's headquarters. Angie was present, as was Jackie. She'd taken time off from her busy-as-hell schedule for this meeting.

"It's a dumb idea," he said. "I shouldn't have even brought it up."

"It's not dumb, and I'm happy that you told us about it." W.B. grasped Hyde's arm, stopping him near W.B.'s desk. "You're turning twenty-nine in less than two months. You're engaged. You should want more."

Angie's facial expression showed that she'd been waiting for this day. "I dreamt of running a record store since I was a kid. Then of running all of Grooves someday, and now I'm the company's senior VP of operations. You're allowed to pursue your dreams, too."

"I've already got more than I ever freakin' dreamed." Hyde glanced back at Jackie, who'd remained silent so far. "It ain't fair to to risk it all."

"You don't think creating Grooves was a risk?" W.B. said. I was married to Angie's mother, who was pregnant with Angie. We needed the security of a regular paycheck, but her mom wanted me to be happy. And my risk eventually paid off more than anybody could've imagined."

Hyde gestured in defeat. "I can't imagine this workin'."

Jackie stepped toward him and touched his hand. "Neither can I."

"Exactly."

"But don't listen to me. Listen to them."

Hyde stared at her. "Who the hell are you, and what've you done with my chick."

"Steven." She jostled his hand. "I'm redesigning my whole spring collection. I can't imagine that working either, but I'm doing it anyway. This time next year on October ninth, 1990, you'll have put out your first record on your own label."

"A sub label of Grooves Records, of course," Angie said with a smirk.

Hyde bowed his head and hunched his shoulders. "That's nepotism."

"That's expanding the family business." W.B. patted Hyde's back. "I'm not taking an opportunity away from anyone else. You've earned this. The demos you've played me, you have the ear, son."

Hyde sat in the closest chair. His legs were shaking from what was being said, being offered.

"You've been apprenticing under Frankie Branch to learn audio engineering, music production, for how long?" W.B. continued. "Picked up the guitar expertly in three years of lessons and learned as much by listening to songs. Taught yourself bass guitar. Became Cam's favorite drum student, and that's saying a lot."

Angie gazed at the high ceiling and shook her head. "Edna and Bud gave you no chance to realize you have perfect pitch. You didn't understand what you were capable of. You've had to play catch-up in your mid-twenties."

Jackie stood in front of Hyde and rubbed his arms over his long sleeves. "Your childhood was stolen from you. You once told me all the doors were locked for you but one. Your family, your true family, has unlocked so many. You've walked through a lot. Don't shut this door and walk away."

Hyde covered his face in his hands. His emotions were getting to him, breaking through his defenses. As a kid, Formans' folks signed Forman up for jazz guitar lessons, which he abandoned. Only the acoustic guitar remained, and Hyde played that thing every second he could at the Formans' house.

He used Forman's beginners' workbook to learn tabs that were printed alongside sheet music. Hyde couldn't read music for shit, but tabs he got. Songs on the radio, on records, stuck in his skull like recordings. He figured out how to play the guitar parts himself and, back then, had no clue why could do that.

He understood now.

"Son, are you all right?" W.B. said.

Hyde raised his head and wiped his eyes. "Yeah. Just ... when ya don't believe something's possible for you for so damn long -- and then it happens? Kind of a mind fuck."

"So you'll start your label?" Jackie smiled at him with such hope, such support, he would've fallen in love with her if he hadn't already fallen twelve years ago.

"Yup."

Jackie cheered, and W.B. congratulated him in a proud, fatherly way Hyde was still growing used to.

"What are you going to call it?" Angie said.

Hyde grinned. "Burn-Out Records."

[kemetic-dreams]

Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response.

Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in Washington, D.C., during the mid-60s to late-70s. Go-go has limited popularity in other areas, but maintains a devoted audience in the Washington metropolitan area as a uniquely regional music style and was named the official music of Washington, D.C., in February 2020.

Performers associated with the development of the style include Rare Essence, EU, Trouble Funk, and singer-guitarist Chuck Brown. Modern artists like Charles "Shorty Corleone" Garris continue the go-go tradition in D.C.

Origins

Although Chuck Brown is known as "the Godfather of Go-Go", go-go is a musical movement that cannot be traced back to one single person, as there were so many bands that flourished during the beginning of this era that they collectively created the sound that is recognized as go-go of today. Artists such as Marvin Gaye, Van McCoy, Billy Stewart, Peaches & Herb, Black Heat,Experience Unlimited (E.U.), Vernon Burch, Sir Joe Quarterman & the Free Soul, the Moments, Ray, Goodman & Brown, True Reflection, the Unifics, Terry Huff & Special Delivery, Act 1, the Dynamic Superiors, Skip Mahoney & the Casuals, the Choice Four, and the Fuzz that played soul music during pre-go-go era.

The term "gogo" (as it applies to a music venue) originated in France in the early 1960s, at the Whiskyagogo nightclub, named after the French title for the British comedy "Whisky Galore!".The club also featured go-go dancers. In January 1964, capitalizing on the emerging popularity of "go-go dancers", the name was licensed to a Los Angeles club, the Whisky a Go Go, and from there the term "go-go" spread nationwideThe Cafe Au Go Go in NYC was also in business during that time, gaining notoriety when Lenny Bruce was arrested there in April 1964. By 1965, "go-go" was a recognized word for a music club, as evidenced by the TV show Hollywood A Go-Go (march 1965-1966), or the song title of that year's hit Going to a Go-Go by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (released November 1965). At a go-go club, dancers could expect to hear the latest top 40 hits, performed by local bands and DJ's. (The French Whiskyagogo had been one of the first venues in the world to replace live music with records selected by a disc jockey.)

In Washington D.C., minor group Wornell Jones and the Young Senators were formed in 1965, beginning a fierce competition with Chuck Brown and Black Heat on the local club circuit. The Young Senators later became known for their song "Jungle" released in 1970 by Innovation Records. Guitarist and bandleader Chuck Brown is widely regarded as "the Godfather of Go-Go".

Chuck Brown was a fixture on Washington and Maryland music scene with his band Los Lotinos as far back as 1966. By the mid-1970s, he had changed the group's name to The Soul Searchers, and developed a laid-back, rhythm-heavy style of funk performed with one song blending into the next (in order to keep people on the dance floor). The beat was based on Grover Washington Jr.'s song "Mr. Magic," though Brown has said in interviews that both he and Washington had adapted the beat from a gospel music beat found in African churches.

Washington, D.C., funk's early national chart action came when Black Heat (the first D.C. go-go band to be signed by a major record label) released their Billboard top 100 hit "No Time To Burn" from their second album on Atlantic Records in 1974. They then toured with such national acts as Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament Funkadelic, Ohio Players, The Commodores, and others. In 1976, James Funk, a young DJ who spun at clubs in between Soul Searchers sets, was inspired (and encouraged by Brown himself) to start a band—called Rare Essence (originally the Young Dynamos)—that played the same kind of music.

[hooked-on-elvis]

"Early Mornin' Rain" (1971-1972) + "Aloha From Hawaii" bonus performance (1973)

Recorded by Elvis Presley on March 15, 1971 at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee · First released on the album Elvis Now on February 20, 1972.

RECORDING SESSION Studio Session for RCA March 15, 1971: RCA’s Studio B, Nashville. With a three-album agenda before him, Elvis arrived on the first day of the sessions with a runny nose and aching eyes. Yet he was determined to go ahead, and his enthusiasm seemed inspired by an unlikely source: contemporary folk music. The spate of home taping he’d done during the soundtrack years reveals that Elvis had been tuned in to the folk boom since the mid-’60s, and it was through the sweet harmonies of Peter, Paul and Mary that he was introduced to songwriters like Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. With Charlie and Red he’d harmonized for hours on songs like “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “500 Miles”; now Elvis had been listening to Peter, Paul and Mary’s interpretations of songs like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Early Morning Rain,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me,” and Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “I Shall Be Released.” Eager to work with similar textures himself, Elvis picked up on a suggestion from Charlie Hodge and brought in a male-female quartet, the Nashville Edition, to help on the sessions. The rest of the evening was devoted to Peter, Paul and Mary’s two Gordon Lightfoot numbers, “Early Morning Rain” and “For Lovin’ Me,” both grounded in the same sound: Restrained brushes from Jerry Carrigan’s drums, blended with a simple, effective bass line from Norbert Putnam. “Are you gonna play something with me?” James Burton prodded Chip Young, initiating a friendly duel between the two on acoustic guitar licks. Charlie McCoy (“the fastest harp in the West,” as one of his later solo albums dubbed him) took the solos. Each of the songs was true to its genre, but they lacked the feel the singer brought to any song when he was at his best. Elvis was having trouble. “Give me a Kleenex or something,” he asked Charlie, snorting in every pause, struggling to keep his nose clear and his voice open. After the evening sessions he checked into a Nashville hospital for treatment of what turned out to be secondary glaucoma. Elvis had been having problems with his eyes for the last few years, and no one who watched him record that night was surprised at his hospitalization.

Excerpt: "Elvis Presley, A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions" by Ernst Jorgensen. Foreword by Peter Guralnick (1998)

--

"Early Mornin' Rain" PRIOR RECORDINGS AND RELEASES Gordon Lightfoot wrote “Early Morning Rain” in 1964 but only recorded the song himself later, releasing his recording on the 1966 album "Lightfoot."

Before Lightfoot released his own recording, the song was recorded and released in 1965 by Ian and Sylvia, a Canadian songwriting and performing duo. Source: thesongbook.org

Peter, Paul and Mary, also folk revival stars, had a hit with Lightfoot’s song that year, as it reached No. 91 on the Billboard Top 100. Source: thesongbook.org

Peter, Paul & Mary - Live on the "Tonight In Person" Show (1966)

HONORABLE MENTIONS Going to more experimental recordings, more Rock and Roll was put into the tune by the groups The Grateful Dead and We Five. The Grateful Dead recorded the song in 1965 but their recording was only released in 2001 on the album The Golden Road (1965-1973) and again on the album The Birth Of The Dead in 2003. Here's their version:

We Five released their cover still in the 70's on the album Catch The Wind (1970).

ELVIS' VERSION (1972) With Elvis’ version, Gordon Lightfoot’s most famous song features the male-female quartet The Nashville Edition. The studio version was recorded in March 1971 and released almost a year later in February 1972 on the album Elvis Now.

ALOHA FROM HAWAII (1973 — U.S. AIRING) "Early Mornin' Rain" is one of the inserted songs on the Aloha From Hawaii TV special. A live performance of Elvis' 1972 release was specially taped onstage at the H.I.C Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii, following the January 14, 1973 concert, with no audience at the venue anymore. The footage - along with 4 more bonus tracks - was requested for the US airing by NBC (April 4, 1973). In total 5 songs were live performed by Elvis in January 14, 1973 in addition to the concert setlist itself. They were almost all Hawaiian-themed songs taken from the soundtrack album "Blue Hawaii" released in 1961 ("KU-U-I-PO", "Hawaiian Wedding Song", "Blue Hawaii" and "No More") with the exception of one, "Early Mornin' Rain". However when the concert aired in the U.S. on April 4, 1973 (NBC), the live performance of "No More" was left unused while "Early Mornin' Rain" apparently was a definitive track for the American airing of the 1973 Elvis special, for some reason. Director Marty Pasetta used split screens to show Elvis singing (he is alone on screen, no musician was shown behind him as usual for his live performances) while the rest of the screen was completed with scenes filmed in Hawaii - from staged romantic scenes to Hula dancers - showing the peaceful beauty of the island. Below we have the raw footage and then the final edit that aired in the U.S. television post concert.

MUSICIANS: Guitar: James Burton, John Wilkinson, Elvis Presley, Charlie Hodge. Bass: Jerry Scheff. Drums: Ronnie Tutt. Piano: Glen D. Hardin. Vocals: Kathy Westmoreland, The Sweet Inspirations, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps, Joe Guercio and His Orchestra.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since "No More" was the only other non-Hawaiian-themed song to be taped for the Aloha From Hawaii airing in the U.S., I wonder what made Marty Pasetta decide to chose "Early Mornin' Rain" to complete the final cut of the Aloha special for the U.S. audience. Considering "No More" has the Hawaiian feeling present in its sound, which would make the song fit very well on that TV special and the vibe of the 3 other songs selected as - per say - bonus material, why it was left out? Perhaps it was a request from Elvis? Or either a request from the Colonel Parker and RCA Records, in a try to boost the sales of Elvis' last contemporary album released previously, in 1972, in which that song was released? I haven't read any books specifically about the Aloha From Hawaii yet, so if you happen to know something about the selection of the songs for this extra portion of the Aloha From Hawaii special, please, share it in the comments.

All I know it that I was really happy to see "Early Mornin' Rain" performed live on the Aloha From Hawaii special because I absolutely LOVE Elvis' recording of this song. I think Elvis' cover of that classic Gordon Lightfoot penned-tune remains oddly underrated.

[ttccprojectoverdrive]

Time for some general info about each Manager!

Here’s an important note going in: in this world cogs are born either the natural way (which surprises toons because they didn’t realize that toon and cog reproduction wasn’t all that different) or are commissioned to be built using their parents genetic material/coding

William Boar

Late 30’s-early 40’s, bi trans man, white boy, autistic, shares a dad with Desmond but different moms since Will’s mom passed away before his dad remarried to Desmond’s mom, dating/eventually marries Rain and has what’s (to their knowledge at the time) the first documented cog/toon hybrid post main story, daughter is named Olive and she's more cog than toon

Buck Ruffler

Mid-late 30’s bi man, Chilean, AuDHD and (family inherited that manifested after the stress caused by his failed toon up) Schizophrenia, mom is still alive but dad passed away, married to Dave and has one daughter with him whom they commissioned to be built named Gliss (short for the piano term Glissandro)

Brian (Monarch but shhh he doesn’t put that last name in his records bc of their secret shady dealings)

Early to mid 40’s, bi man, white boy, Autistic (I plan to potentially add more considering what he does in the story so I wanna see if more than just autism explains his behavior besides psychopathy) mother is alive but dad “mysteriously “ died, has a lot of siblings and he’s one of the youngest, married to Ben and they commissioned a daughter together whom they name Chime

Misty Monsoon

Mid 30’s, bi demigirl, Afro-Hispanic, AuDHD OCD and Bipolar, mom is a single mom, marries Mary and Holly and I plan to give them at least two bubbies (kids)

Mary Anna

Mid to late 30’s, Filipino, AMAB intersex bigender bisexual individual who uses he/she, has a mom and dad and a few siblings, married Misty at first and eventually maybe Holly too if the two develop feelings for each other lol, has a kid with Misty

Holly Grayelle

Mid to late 30’s, British with a medieval inflection, bisexual woman, Autistic, has a mom and dad and younger brother, marries Misty first then maybe later Mary too, has a kid with Misty

Alton Crow

Early 40’s, Texan white boy, bi man, AuDHD (which means autistic and ADHD btw), comes from a big family, is married to a buff and tall cow based cog lady and has a son and daughter with her

Prester Virgil

Late 50’s to early 60’s, cishet, white boy, Depression and PTSD, comes from a big family, is a struggling divorced dad to his one daughter whom he eventually gives custody of to Chip and his partner after situations that cause Prester to realize he’s not mentally well enough to be a father

Winston Charme

Early 80’s, cishet, white boy (subject to change may make him and Dana black), possibly AuDHD with a form of Dementia and PTSD, only living relative is his great niece Dana whom he ends up in the care of after a legal case between the ye olde toontown elders and the lawbots

Benjamin Biggs

Early 40’s, bi man, British, OCD in the forms of obsessive love and organization and possible either sociopathy or psychopathy (still working out that one), mom and deceased dad, married to and has a kid with Brian

Cathal Bravecog

Mid 20’s, pan demiboy, white (subject to change though I’m tempted to make him half asian from his mom’s side) might also make him autistic but idk, divorced mom and dad, honestly haven’t put much thought into him yet but I wanna maybe give him a partner

Dave Brubot

Mid 30’s, bi man, Haitian/Brazilian/Italian, AuDHD, has a mom and dad and four younger siblings, married to and has a kid with Buck

Belle Dama

Early 70’s, cishet, white (possibly subject to change but I also kinda want her to be an ally white grandma who doesn’t like any form of discrimination and will give you hugs and cookies if you need it), possibly autistic but idk, comes from a big family, widower with several children and grandchildren, eventually dates Cosmo

Cosmo Kupier

Early 70’s, cishet, Italian, comes from a big family, widower whom can’t have kids so his mob is going to his henchmen when he dies, eventually dates Belle

Flint Bonpyre

Mid 30’s, bi demiboy, Afro-Venezualan, Autistic and General Anxiety Disorder, two moms, married to and eventually has a kid or several with Graham

Chip Revvington-Campbell

Early to mid 40’s, bi man, white boy, Autistic and PTSD, adopted by Spruce’s family when he was very young but has since regained contact and is friendly with his bio mom, dating/married to and eventually has several kids with his assistant Bubblegum Pop along with their adopted child from Prester named Nixie

Spruce Campbell

Mid to late 40’s, pan man, white boy (Scottish mostly), comes from a big family, thinking of giving him a partner eventually

Tawney C. Esta

Mid 60’s, genderfluid heteroasexual, tempted to make them either Mexican or Hispanic or from another Spanish speaking country bc of how their name is a pun for siesta, comes from a big family, wife but no kids

Graham Ness Payser

Mid 30’s, bi (male leaning) man, mixed (mom is white dad is black, his older sister looks more black than he does and it’s a running joke that she took all the melanin leaving Graham looking white) ADHD and Narcissistic, has a mom and dad and an older sister, married to and eventually has one or several kids with Flint

Desmond Kerosene-Boar

Early 30’s, bi man, white boy, half brothers with Will, in a poly relationship with Buck Wilde and Dana and whom I may eventually give three kids

Buck Crow Wilde

Early 30’s, bi man, Texan white boy, Alton’s cousin, in a poly relationship with Desmond and Dana and whom I may eventually give three kids

Dana S Charme

Early 30’s, pan genderfluid, white (subject to change), Winston’s great niece, in a poly relationship with Desmond and Buck Wilde and whom I may eventually give three kids

[randomvarious]

Chicago House Playlist

Alright, folks, here's something that's been a long time coming: a playlist of house tunes that came from the city that gave birth to the global phenomenon in the first place, and also kickstarted the whole evolution of electronic dance music as we currently know it. When house music began, most dancefloors had moved on from disco to a mishmash of post-disco, boogie, hi-NRG, dance-pop, synthy funk, electro, freestyle, and a whole lot of other stuff, but there was something different that started to brew itself into a movement during the mid-1980s among a predominantly black, gay crowd in the city where disco had first been symbolically murdered in 1979.

And eventually, it became known as house music, named after both The Warehouse, the place that the genre's godfather, Frankie Knuckles, would have residency, and the posters that would be hung up to advertise the venue's events, which referred to 'house parties' and 'house music.' The Warehouse would open up in the late 70s and close in the early 80s, but in 1983, Frankie would open up his own club, The Power House, which would then change its name to the Power Plant, and then change its name again to The Music Box, after another legendary house DJ, Ron Hardy, would take up residency there.

So, a lot of this playlist channels the greatness of some of those halcyon Chicago house days. And so much of it is just pure, primordial dance music bliss; lighthearted, unserious, super fun, revolutionary grooves. There was an amateurishness to a lot of it back then that gave it a significant level of goofy charm, and that's something that seems to have gotten mostly left behind as the music continued to grow into the 90s. Songs like "Move Your Body," by Marshall Jefferson, which opened with this rich and clanging, jauntily unpolished piano rag of sorts, was so infectious, and his plainly bad, but passionate singing voice that would follow that iconic intro couldn't help but be adored too. And the song on this playlist that currently comes after that one, "Love Can't Turn Around," by Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders, is in much the same vein, as featured vocalist Darryl Pandy goes over-the-top berserk to start his second verse, making for another song that you really just can't resist 🥰.

Another total favorite of mine on here is one that was produced by Frankie Knuckles himself: "Let the Music Use You," by the Night Writers, which is a near-eight minute masterpiece that has a divine, string-pad-and-bell-laden beat that immediately shows you why Frankie was revered as such a master of his own craft. And that beat gets paired beautifully with Ricky Dillard's soft and tender, heartfelt vocals too.

And then there's Kevin Irving's "Children of the Night," which features his excellent, soulful voice on a beat that combines string pads with prickly electro stabs, and was made by Larry Sherman, the founder of the most important label in the history of Chicago house itself, Trax Records, which has also caught a lot of flak over the years for its shady business practices.

A couple more notes: first, be forewarned that the track that starts this playlist is another tremendous classic, "Mind Games," by Quest— which features the voice of Liz Torres and some great and dreamy freestyle-type synth work—but even though it's on Spotify, it is, unfortunately, pretty damn scratchy. Luckily, I was able to include a much cleaner version on the YouTube version of this playlist, though 😊. And second, I like to keep these playlists as chronologically ordered as possible, but I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out when Screamin' Rachael's "Bip Bop" was actually made. It has an aggressive male rap vocal on it that's reminiscent of Turbo B's on Snap!'s "The Power," so it could be from that early 90s period, but I really don't know. So I just put it at the end, where it will stay until I one day possibly figure out when it was actually created.

This playlist is ordered as chronologically as possible and links are provided below to songs that have been posted about previously in order to give them more context:

Quest - "Mind Games" Marshall Jefferson - "Move Your Body" Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders - "Love Can't Turn Around" On the House - "Pleasure Control" Housemaster Boyz - "House Nation" Ralphi Rosario - "You Used to Hold Me" Night Writers - "Let the Music Use You" Dalis - "Rock Steady" Kevin Irving - "Children of the Night" Bam Bam - "Where's Your Child?" Paul Johnson - "3rd Dimension (Remixed by Armando)" Screamin' Rachael - "Bip Bop"

And while there are some incredible moments in that Spotify playlist, I still have way more Chicago house music to show you in the YouTube version. Some tracks that stand out in this bonus crop are the first one, the silly and campy "Undercover," by Doctor Derelict, which has about 3,500 plays on YouTube across a couple uploads; another one from Frankie Knuckles, which is a rare remix of his very popular "Baby Wants to Ride" that has ~31.6K plays, and features some political opining from vocalist Jamie Principle, and even a detouring interpolation of "America the Beautiful" in its second half (😆); and then one from a later era of Chicago—'99, to be exact—called "Testing & Balancing," by Jimminy Cricket, aka James Curd, that has around 170 plays and liberally samples from Al Green's soul classic, "Love & Happiness."

Doctor Derelict - "Undercover" Jungle Wonz - "The Jungle" Steve "Silk" Hurley - "House Beat Box" On the House - "Ride the Rhythm"Libra Libra - "I Like It" Paris Grey - "Don't Make Me Jack" Liz Torres - "Can't Get Enough" Frankie Knuckles - "Baby Wants to Ride" On the House - "Let's Get Busy" Mister Lee - "Come to House" Jimminy Cricket - "Testing & Balancing"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So, with the Spotify version of this playlist, we currently have 12 songs that total an hour and 16 minutes, and with YouTube, we're at 23 songs that total 2 hours and 24 minutes. Clearly, there are a whole lot more goodies in that YouTube one.

And if you want a Chicago house playlist that's a bit shorter, I have one that's made of stuff that's solely from the 80s too.

1980s Chicago House: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today - March 5th, 1976

Eddie Howell "The Man From Manhattan" 7" single released

Freddie Mercury: producer/piano/bvs

Brian May: guitar

Excerpts from an interview

Jacky Gunn-Smith - Official International Queen Fan Club

Eddie Howell’s ‘Man From Manhattan‘ is one of the best known and best loved of all Queen’s collaborations.

Recorded in mid January 1976 at Sarm East Studios in London, the song was produced by Freddie Mercury, who also played piano and sang backing vocals on the track and featured Brian May on guitar. The record is so reminiscent of “A Night At The Opera” in both instrumentation and mood, that many fans regard it as virtually an “Opera” out-take. When it was launched as a single on Warner Bros records in 1976, it became a turntable hit in the UK and looked set to chart until music industry bureaucracy halted it in it’s tracks.

Birmingham born Eddie Howell began his professional career in the late 60’s, when Chrysalis music picked up on his songwriting demos and introduced him to an independent record producer, who in turn licensed his first single “Easy Street”, as a one-off deal to Parlophone in 1969.

Working as a songwriter throughout the early 70’s, Eddie’s next venture into recording came in 1975 when he signed to Warner Bros records as an artist. thursdaysHe released two singles, “Long Story” and “Can’t get over you”, and his debut LP “The Eddie Howell Gramophone Record”, which featured members of “Brand X” and guitarist Gary Moore.

The album was launched at a promotional gig at Thursday’s club in Kensington. Eddie’s band included Phil Collins on congas, Jack Lancaster on saxophone and Robin Lumley on keyboards. Explains Eddie, ”In the audience that night was Freddie Mercury who had been brought along to the gig by my manager David Minns. It was there that he first heard “Man From Manhattan”, which was a newly written song included in the set. After the gig we met and he was very complimentary about the song and offered to produce it. I remember we all went down to ‘The Elephant on the River’ to celebrate”.

Enthused by the prospect of his first foray into production, Freddie wasted little time in getting started. ”I gave him a two track guitar/vocal demo of the song” recalls Eddie, ”and a couple of days later he called and said let’s get going. Studio time was booked at Sarm East Studios and true to form, Freddie quickly took control of the sessions; ”He did lots of pre-production work on the song’s structure and the harmony arrangements”, reveals Ed. ” He had a mini cassette recorder loaded with ideas for the track, backing vocals and answering phrases”.

”We took a week to record the song”, remembers Eddie, ”which was a long time in those days, but because of Freddie’s involvement, Warners gave us a blank cheque. The sessions were quite intense, there was never a lull. Brian came in to play hismikestone2 guitar parts and the musical rapport between him and Freddie was plain to see, they were on the same page. One day, a hand-held spinning bell-cymbal in the key of ‘D’ was required by Freddie for one ping at the end of the track and the studio didn’t have one, so a runner was dispatched to scour the streets of London in search of one. The session was adjourned for half a day while we waited down at the Shazam Indian restaurant in Brick Lane for the bell to arrive. It eventually arrived and took about a minute to record, it must have been the most expensive ping ever recorded”.

On the final day of recording, a trio of Warner Bros top brass flew in from California and made a beeline for Sarm East studios to meet Freddie. Recalls Eddie, ”They probably thought the red carpet would be rolled out as they were paying for the recording sessions, but instead they were kept waiting in reception for about four hours. When they were eventually granted an audience, the charm offensive was full onlongstory3 and it was all smiles and bonhomie. At the end of the session, after the final playback, Freddie turned to me and said, ‘If this isn’t a hit, sue Warner Bros ‘ ”.

The finished article obviously had a heavy Queen influence with the presence of Freddie and Brian on the track, but ”Man from Manhattan” was far from a tribute to Queen. ”I wrote the song after my first trip to Manhattan in late 74”, reveals Eddie, ”I was reading ‘The Godfather Papers’ by Mario Puzo and the song was about those mafia characters who lead a double life. Musically, I had ‘Dead End Street’, by the Kinks in mind, complete with trombones and a walking double-bass”.

Prior to the ban, ”Manhattan” made top 50 in the UK, top 20 in Australia, Belgium and South Africa and top 5 in Holland, but sadly, as a consequence of the ban, it was never released in America or many of the world’s other major territories.

When it was issued as a single in 1976, Warner’s publicity department played up the Queen connection as much as they could, and “Manhattan” rapidly became a turntable hit in the UK. The record received heavy rotation on the airwaves – particularly in Europe where it became a big hit. Then, just when it looked set to climb the charts in the UK, the Musicians Union mysteriously discovered that Jerome Rimson, the American bassist hired by Freddie for the sessions, had been working in Britain without a permit. This obliged them to place a ban on any and all further UK media exposure due to his ‘Illegally’ recorded playing. A decision which effectively killed off the record.

Having recently regained the rights to his back catalogue recorded during his time with the label, Eddie is now releasing the tracks digitally. ”Man from Manhattan” is first up, more to follow…

(source: https://manfrommanhattan.wordpress.com/)

📸 Pic: Freddie Mercury and Eddie Howell in control room

[cursed-elements-blog]

SELFSHIPTOBER DAY 2 - Blanket

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Winter in the Pueblo area is less of "winter" and more something like a cold-season. Temperatures frequently reach 60-70°F, with lows no lower than the mid-40°s F. So when the temperature took an unexpected drop to a low of 39°F, no one was really ready for it.

Chase and I are sitting in his dorm, cuddled up together as we absentmindedly watch some movies for my film study class. Though to be honest, I'm not paying much attention to the screen, "It's so fucking cold..." I mutter, snuggling myself closer to my otter. "You'd think they'd be decent enough to include a heating unit or something..."

"I mean... it never really gets this cold at this time of year. Guess they didn't think to prepare for it?" Chase replies, pulling me a bit closer. It isn't anywhere close to any record-breaking temperatures, but when our summers average around 95°F on a good day, this feels like it's below freezing. I sigh, displeased at the circumstances. But at least I have my boyfriend here with me.

The thought brings a smile to my face; My Boyfriend. The two of us have been together for about four months now, and every day I think about that makes me feel like I'm on the moon. I close my eyes and lean my head back, resting it on Chase's chest. I can feel his breathing, hear the rhythmic beating of his heart; A constant reminder that he's alive and here with me. "Besides," his voice rings out. I open my eyes to see him looking down at me fondly. "You're a Tasmanian Devil. Aren't you better built for this weather than I am?"

I roll my eyes, "If I actually grew up in Tasmania, sure. That place has actual winters. But instead my parents came here and instead I grew up in a desert." I close my eyes again and take a deep breath, taking the smell of Chase's Musk-Off spray - which does little to mask Chase's natural scent. Not that it bothers me.

I think for a moment, wondering whether it's worth continuing the film study when I've only been paying half attention. Deciding that it isn't, I shift my position so I'm no longer sitting in Chase's lap facing away from him, but off to the side so I'm parallel with his bed. Then, without missing a beat, I flop backwards onto my back. The bed creaks a bit when I hit the mattress and Chase looks at me in surprise. "Tired?" He asks, head cocked to the side slightly. I don't answer, instead tapping the space next to me with my paw.

Understanding the assignment, Chase turns off the TV and lays down next to me. The moment he's down, I grab the blankets and pull it over us before wrapping my arms around him and holding him close. "Mehhh... that class is piss-easy anyway. We can watch the movie later." I close my eyes and bury my face into his neck.

Just a bit of shelter from the cold; Under the blankets with the love of my life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[ineedahugtm]

Hello! This was into response about someone complaining about Hazbin Hotels (admittedly) pretty bad pacing so strap in for 8 paragraphs outlining the history of television and how Hazbin hotel’s terrible pacing fits into this.

So here’s a little (unneeded but still fun) history of television. So as we transitioned from the Radio Era a full season was 39 weeks (3 quarters of a year) and was preformed live, during the rest of the year that time slot would be designated for replacement shows because show hosts have to vacation at some point in their lives.

Anyways due to primitive recording techniques making reruns virtually impossible, the industry standard of replacement shows continued into television. Although finally by mid-fifties reruns were more possible and commonplace. From this point on the number of episodes began to decline, by the late 60’s the 46 episode standard season became 26 instead. (1ep per week is half the year meaning reruns for the other half so that every show could be repeated once a lot easier than the longer seasons of the past )

Essentially broadcast networks wanted more bang for their buck

Then came the miniseries format in the 70’s. Usually about 13 episodes telling stories week to week that were self contained (Think Phineas and Ferb, the episodes have no impact on each other) Also 13 is half of what a normal season was so networks would use this if a project was on the edge of cancellation.

Also in the 70’s networks would cancel shows mid year (now it’s after the November sweeps) so they’d order shows in 12 episode groups and if the ratings weren’t good enough a new one would replace it in January.

By the 90’s it kept getting shorter ordering shows in either 8, 16, or 24 episode seasons. For almost all new shows that a network isn’t sure about they give 8 episodes to test out the waters and see how fans react and that’s what I believe Amazon Prime did for Hazbin Hotel.

And so after an entire history lesson of television, let’s talk about Hazbin Hotel.

So let’s get one thing straight, yeah the pacing of HH is not great and definitely could be improved upon. From what it looks like, we’re supposedly watching a show that has a time span of about 6 months in between 8 episodes which gives no time to develop almost anything but plot relevant to the extermination. However like I just spent the past 4 paragraphs leading up to, season’s episodes are only getting shorter and shorter, not to mention that it’s up to the networks to tell the show how many episodes it’s going to be getting. So with 8 episodes to tell decades worth of planning a world out for Hazbin Hotel I’m sure that’s a little hard, especially with all of the characters that we love and want screen time for (remember how everyone was mad at Encanto for the pacing as well? The plot was there but the movie was too short for the amount of characters and stories that they wanted to tell)

Additionally it’s been said that the team didn’t know that the show was getting a second season until half way through production (I don’t have any sources to back this one up but I’ve heard it going around a few places) so it seems like this season was planned like it was the only season we would be getting which would explain why everything is so fast paced.

Hopefully with that second season (and maybe more) they will feel more fluid and organic but for now we need to understand that this is just the first season and that the rough start shouldn’t be entirely on the blame of the show itself. If your mad about something sure, I’m down to put the blame on those responsible- but I think instead of being mad at the show, or saying “I’m disappointed in the show” we should shift the blame onto the networks who put such small episode constraints on not just Hazbin hotel- but all new shows! Sure if you have a well thought out story that you can tell in 8 episodes then that’s great! But too many shows are forced to rush through their plot because of greedy networks enforcing restraints on the creativity of the shows their hosting

[therecordconnection]

Playlist: Aboard a Tidal Wave - An Ode to The Beach Boys in the Seventies

Youtube Version (For Non-Spotify Users) Can Be Found Here!

Cover Photo: "Peachy Wave" by Heidi Heiser // Record Border Created By: @saradika-graphics

Playlist Description: An exploration of The Beach Boys' work in the 70s. While they were no longer hitmakers starting with this decade, they were still a creatively ambitious and wildly interesting group.

I watched that new Beach Boys documentary on Disney+. I thought it was alright, but it was definitely made for people who have no knowledge about who the Beach Boys are. I ended up being disappointed by it because most of the documentary covered their beginnings and hitmaking years in the sixties. There wasn't much talk about their career in the seventies, which is the period of their career I find the most fascinating.

Brian Wilson's mental breakdown and subsequent mental health issues left him M.I.A. through most of the decade, which meant that the other Beach Boys were left without their captain. Also, the boys were hit by the tidal wave of being strangers in a strange land. The California that the band had immortalized in song had changed and moved on without them in the mid-sixties, with their stomping ground first being dominated by the likes of hippy rock bands like the Grateful Dead, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and Jimi Hendrix, then the rock bands of the seventies like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. The Beach Boys were written off and considered nothing more an old nostalgia act and a relic of another time.

Despite Brian Wilson no longer being at the helm of the songwriting, the Beach Boys weren't completely out of the water. If the downside was that they were probably never gonna be chart topping hitmakers again no matter what they did, then the positive was that they were free to do whatever the hell they wanted to try. There are no real expectations if everyone thinks you're gonna fail anyway.

Here, you will find thirty songs pulled from the eight albums they made throughout the seventies (from 1970's Sunflower to 1979's L.A. (Light Album). I initially just had them in chronological order, but eventually decided that it would be more interesting to shuffle them all and present it that way. No matter how I organized it, none of them really fit nice and clean into common themes. The boys all went in wildly different directions during the decade and you'll hear all of that here.

To give you an idea of some of the things you'll find here, I'll give you a short list:

The Beach Boys doing Steely Dan months before Steely Dan released their debut ("Here She Comes")

The Beach Boys more-or-less inventing Shoegaze/dream pop before it became a thing ("All I Wanna Do")

The first few seconds of "Deirdre," a very happy and lovely song, later being used as a sample to create the creepiest music piece from Earthbound ("The Place")

Carl Wilson getting psychedelic and other-worldly ("Feel Flows")

Brian Wilson getting their at-the-time-manager Jack Rieley to sing the lead vocal for "A Day in the Life of a Tree" because he thought Jack's voice sounded the closest to what a tree would sound like.

Brian Wilson strange lines, "Neptune is god of the sea-ea-ea / Pluto is too far to see-ee-ee" and "If Mars has life on it, I might find my wife on it" ("Solar System")

Mike Love singing a verse in Japanese ("Sumahama")

The Beach Boys attempting (and honestly kinda nailing) disco ("Here Comes the Night")

The Beach Boys were so so SO much more than songs about surf, sun, cars, and girls and this playlist is in honor of that beautiful and delightfully strange decade of creativity where they were just trying anything they thought would work. They were, as Frank Reynolds would say, "gettin' weird with it." They did what Mike Love hated and fucked with the formula. We're all better for it. If you've ever wondered if there's more to the Beach Boys than "Fun, Fun, Fun" or "Wouldn't It Be Nice," or you're just discovering them for the first time, then I hope this playlist gives you some new songs to enjoy. :)

Track Listing:

Sail On, Sailor

Funky Pretty

You Need a Mess of Help To Stand Alone

Here She Comes

The Trader

All I Wanna Do

Deirdre

At My Window

Disney Girls (1957)

Long Promised Road

Feel Flows

A Day in the Life of a Tree

'Til I Die

Cool, Cool Water

All This Is That

Surf's Up

Solar System

The Night Was So Young

I'll Bet He's Nice

Let's Put Our Hearts Together

She's Got Rhythm

Rock and Roll Music

Wontcha Come Out Tonight?

Susie Cincinnati

Match Point Of Our Love

Lady Lynda

Full Sail

Angel Come Home

Sumahama

Here Comes the Night

Bonus: The greatest and weirdest Beach Boys song ever recorded: "Ding Dang." It wasn't included in the playlist because it would've been unfair to the other songs. You wouldn't have wanted to listen to anything else.

[dailyanarchistposts]

People

Hunger Has Natural Causes, Right?

Despite the fact that the world produces 1.5 times as much food as is needed to feed the human population, starvation and famine are endemic to modern capitalism. 900 million people die from starvation each year, but there is no global shortage of land to grow food. The UN estimates that there is enough land to feed a world population of 14 billion people. But what is it being used for? As in the ‘developed’ North, large landowners control the vast majority of land. In 83 countries, 3% of farmers control 79% of farmland, much of it left unused in order to maintain profits. Big Food made over $7bn profit from the South in 1990, and probably far more through transfer payments. It uses its economic power to force down the prices of rice, coffee, sugar, cocoa and cotton. Average prices in 1989 were 20% down on those of 1980. This led to an increase in foreign debt for Southern countries, with consequent increased economic hardship for the poor majority (higher taxes, inflation, etc.). Brazil has an area of farmland the size of India left uncultivated while 20 million rural poor are landless; the richest 1% owns 15 times as much land as the poorest 56% of Brazilian farmers. In Guatemala, 2% of landowners own 66% of the land. In the Philippines agribusiness producing sugar, cotton and pineapples for export has pushed 12 million peasants into the lowland forests.

Drought in Africa is part of a millennia-long cycle that human societies adapted to. It is cash crop exploitation, the market economy and taxation that produce starvation, not drought. During the 1970s, when famines first began to be reported regularly, ships that brought relief supplies to the port of Dakar left carrying peanuts, cotton, vegetables, and meat. In Bangladesh, often cited as the model for the Malthusian argument, 90% of the land is worked by sharecroppers and labourers. Many starved after the 1974 floods, while hoarders held on to four million tons of rice. In the mid-80’s severe famines occurred in the Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Chad yet during the same period record harvests of cotton were exported to the industrial centres of the world.

Cash crops go to feed the global supermarket, yielding higher profits for international capital and accelerating global industrialisation. Mexican soil and labour supplies almost 70% of the US market for much winter and early spring vegetables. The result is that agriculture for local consumption is squeezed out and the prices of staple foods rise. Up to 50% of total meat production in Central America is exported, mainly to North America. The “Green Revolution” of the 1970s and 1980s, that the ruling class said would feed the hungry, has in fact only supplied the global supermarket. The same will certainly be true of the ‘wonder crops’ of the GM revolution. The corporate claims that GM and industrial food production in general will ‘feed the world’ are straightforward lies. The maize/soya/ animal product system they are pushing so heavily is not a rational way to produce food — an acre of cereal is estimated to produce 5 times as much protein as one devoted to meat production, an acre of legumes (beans, peas, lentils) 10 times as much and an acre of leafy vegetables 15 times as much.