#ringo and jim have the same birthdays

[paulandjohn]

John’s Birthday + Paul & Nancy’s Wedding Anniversary (Reddit)

Can’t believe I only just found out about this today (😭)

Screenshot from the article (of course Paul would deny it 🙄)

A funny comment at the end lol

[greensparty]

2024: The Year in Green's Party

This has been another spectacular year for my pop culture blog. In Jan. 2013 I began this blog as a way to share my thoughts on pop culture and since then I’ve gotten to do things I never even imagined would be possible: interviewing filmmakers, actors, musicians, authors and more; reviewing movies, music, concerts, books, and theater; covering conventions and film festivals; and connecting with fans who also have their hands on the pulse of pop culture at the moment and its history.

the many faces of Green’s Party

Here are just a few of this website's highlights of 2024:

Retweets and Social Media: David Space liked my tweet about Fly on the Wall being my #1 Podcast of 2023; I was a guest on the It's Another Sunday podcast and discussed this blog, In May during the same week as my birthday I tweeted birthday wishes to Radiohead drummer Philip Selway and he liked it, Trouser Press Books shared my interview with Backstage and Beyond author Jim Sullivan on their social media, the band Scream shared my Best Albums of 2023 list (which included their album DC Special) in their Linktree, and I was a guest on the Seeing Them Live podcast and I returned for a special episode about the infamous Jane's Addiction concert I covered.

Peter Holmström and me

Interviews: I got to interview The Dandy Warhols guitarist Peter Holmström backstage before their Boston show, documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe via zoom, musician Matthew Sweet via phone, comedian Fred Armisen via zoom, music journalist Jim Sullivan via phone, and Pamela Des Barres via phone. I also got to speak with a number of celebs briefly at conventions including Kelli Maroney, Bruce Kulick, Nicholas Hammond, Sid Krofft, Sean Gunn, Ethan Supplee, Gina Schock and more!

photo booth movie poster of me with Challengers

Movie Reviews: I got to review I.S.S., Suitable Flesh, Ennio, The Greatest Hits, Civil War, Sasquatch Sunset, Challengers, Wildcat, Ezra, Hit Man, Tuesday, Revival60: The Concert That Rocked the World, MaXXXine, Twisters, The Instigators, Borderlands, Blink Twice, Greedy People, Between the Temples, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, The 4:30 Movie, BOOM: A Film about The Sonics, Lee, The Apprentice, Heartbreakers Beach Party, Woman of the Hour, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Here, Gladiator II, Wicked, Beatles '64, Nightbitch, and A Complete Unknown.

Album Reviews: I got to review Sleater Kinney's Little Rope and the Deluxe Edition of that album, U2's Zooropa reissue and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb 20th Anniversary Edition, The Smile's Wall of Eyes and Cutouts, Dhani Harrison's INNERSTANDING, Paul McCartney and Wings' Band on the Run 50th Anniversary Edition and One Hand Clapping, Mick Mars' The Other Side of Mars, Sheer Mag's Playing Favorites, The Rolling Stones' 7" Singles 1966-1971 Vinyl Box Set, Bruce Springsteen's Best of Bruce Springsteen and Born in the USA 40th Anniversary Edition, Pearl Jam's Dark Matter, Neil Young and Crazy Horse's Fu##in Up and Early Daze, Thom Yorke's Confidenza soundtrack, John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies' Lost Themes 4: Noir, Ringo Starr's Crooked Boy, Buffalo Tom's Jump Rope, Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs' Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits, Johnny Cash's Songwriter, Andy Summers' Vertiginous Canyons, John Lennon's Mind Games Ultimate Collection, The Police's Synchronicity Deluxe Edition, X's Smoke & Fiction, Oasis's Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, The Linda Lindas' No Obligation, MC5's Heavy Lifting, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Long After Dark Deluxe Edition, The Pixies' The Night the Zombies Came, Weezer's The Blue Album 30th Anniversary Edition, Talking Heads' Talking Heads: 77 Super Deluxe Edition, Kim Deal's Nobody Loves You More, AC/DC's 50th anniversary reissues, The Beatles' 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono, and George Harrison's Living the Material World 50th Anniversary Edition.

TV Reviews: I got to review Nothin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of 80s Hair Metal.

my friend Ron and I at the Foo Fighters concert at Fenway Park

me at the Metallica pop-up shop

Concert Reviews: It was quite a year for concert coverage including Sleater-Kinney, Matthew Sweet, The Church and The Afghan Whigs, Jane's Addiction, Pearl Jam, and Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. I also did my Concert Pics column for Foo Fighters and Metallica.

Blu-ray Reviews: I got to review the blu-ray release of Witness, Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, Robert Rodriguez's The Mexico Trilogy, A Simple Plan, and Behind the Bucket: A Garrison story.

Book Reviews: I got to cover Guzman's Family Values: Kurt, Courtney and Frances Bean.

Comedy Reviews: I got to cover Fred Armisen's show a few weeks after I interviewed him.

me on the red carpet outside The Brattle for 2024 BUFF

me on the red carpet at 2024 IFFBoston

me at the 2024 Fan Expo Boston

me at 2024 Super MegaFest

Film Festivals, Conventions and Events: I did my annual coverage of the Oscar Nominated Short Films, I covered the March edition and the November edition of the Northeast Comic Con, I covered the 2024 Boston Underground Film Festival, the Coolidge Corner Theatre's Expansion, I covered the 2024 Independent Film Festival Boston, I covered the 2024 Fan Expo Boston, the 2024 Super MegaFest, Summer 2024 Collectibles Extravaganza, and the 2024 IFFBoston Fall Focus mini-fest.

Stray Observations:

It was a very Beatle-centric year for me! I got to cover The Beatles box set 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono and their documentary Beatles '64 as well as getting to do album reviews of Paul McCartney and Wings' Band on the Run reissue and One Hand Clapping live album, Ringo Starr's Crooked Boy EP, John Lennon's reissue of Mind Games, George Harrison's reissue of Living in the Material World, the documentary film Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World about Lennon's legendary 1969 concert in Toronto and a concert review of Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band in September. Even for a Beatle Fanatic like me that's quite a year!

In October, one of my favorite musicians Matthew Sweet suffered a stroke and I, like many, donated to the GoFundMe to assist with his road to recovery. Only a few months earlier in April I got to interview Mr. Sweet (my second time talking to him) and I also got to cover his concert in Boston. I am grateful I got to talk to him about his music (he could not have been any cooler) and see him for my 6th time and it was one of his best shows. I wish him well in his recovery and hope one day he's able to make music again (whether it's touring, recording or privately).

I got to interview The Dandy Warholds guitarist Peter Holmström. He is the third band member I got to interview since 2019.

I've noticed a trend that's been happening with reissue albums where they are celebrating the landmark anniversary of an album with a box set...released a year after the landmark release. For example, John Lennon's 50th anniversary of Mind Games was released 51 years later, The Police's 40th anniversary of Synchronicity was released 41 years later, George Harrison's 50th anniversary of Living in the Material World was 51 years later. But hey, who's counting right?

In recent years there's been a number of sequels to movies that were released 20 or more years ago. In 2024 that trend continued with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Twisters, Gladiator II, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (the best of them all by far).

...And the Biggest Postings and News of the Year on Green's Party:

1/2/24: Green's Party turned 11

1/7/24: my remembrance of actress Cindy Morgan. 12 notes.

2/2/24: my remembrance of actor Carl Weathers. 11 notes.

2/20/24: news about Sam Mendes doing four theatrical Beatle movies. 25 notes, my biggest post of the year!

3/27/24: I was one of a select few invited to the Coolidge Corner Theatre's phenomenal expansion in Brookline, MA.

4/10/24: After the final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm I shared my thoughts on the ending.

5/20/24: I celebrated a birthday on Green's Party!

6/24/24: I began a multi-part series with Part 1 of Nirvana Boston about Nirvana's history with the city of Boston.

6/30/24: I posted my Best of 2024 So Far list.

7/7/24: I did a birthday post for Sir Ringo Starr. 13 notes.

7/16/24: Part 2 of Nirvana Boston posted.

8/3/24: I wrote about Aerosmith retiring from touring.

8/10/24: I interviewed Fred Armisen via zoom ahead of his comedy tour. One of the highlights of this year and this entire blog: "During our interview, Mr. Armisen took notice of my CD collection in the background behind me and asked about my collection and he briefly talked about his love of physical media. As our interview was ending, I thanked him and joked that next time he should check out my CD collection. He said “I’m glad you have it on your screen. Because there’s a lot happening in politics and none of the candidates are talking about how we should be proud of our CD collections. We need to come to a time in our lives where we’re displaying them. We all have CDs somewhere.” I laughed and said “I think they need to court the CD vote”. He laughed and I said “Wow - I just made you laugh, I’m so proud of myself” and he replied “That was a real laugh too by the way”. I’ve had some cool celebrity encounters, but knowing I got to make Fred Armisen laugh is definitely pretty high on my list of coolest celebrity encounters ever!"

8/25/24: I was a guest on the Seeing Them Live podcast.

9/15/24: Part 3 of Nirvana Boston posted.

9/30/24: I returned to the Seeing Them Live podcast to discuss the Jane's Addiction concert I covered.

10/26/24: I received my 5000th like on this blog!

10/31/24: I continued my Halloween tradition of ranking my Top 5 Movies and this year I did Top 5 Ghostbuster movies.

11/6/24: my Day After Election Day thoughts.

11/17/24: Part 4 of Nirvana Boston posted.

11/30/24: My review of the documentary Beatles '64. 18 notes.

12/10/24: Part 5, the final edition, of Nirvana Boston posted.

12/13/24: I posted my album review of George Harrison's Living in the Material World 50th Anniversary Edition. 12 notes.

12/20/24: I posted about Ringo Starr joining Paul McCartney in concert. 17 notes.

Thank you for attending Green's Party in 2024! Extra thanks to all of the publicists I worked with on my coverage this year. Now it's time for some thoughts on pop culture in 2025...

[no-reply95]

I was today years old when I found out that Jim McCartney and Ringo have the same birthday!

[imaginebeatles]

Ooh, I've always been interested in astrology/zodiac and John and Paul's have always been fascinating for me! Libra and Gemini are both symbolized as dualistic (the scales & twins respectively) which is 100% them. Same with George the Pisces, two fish. Also, Linda was a Libra, and Stuart was on the cusp of Gemini, while Yoko is an Aquarius which is an air sign like Gemini. Oh, and Ringo shares a birthday with Jim McCartney! I feel like it's all meant to be, lol.

Ohh that’s all so interesting!! I hadn’t really looked into it before this, so I had never realised, Linda was a Libra too for example... interesting. Same with Yoko being another air sign and Stu being on the border of Cancer and Gemini... also how did i never realise Ringo and Jim share a birthday??

[thatsnotcanonpodcasts]

Egyptian, XCloud & Coppola

Hooray, it is episode 90 and all is well. This week we walk like Egyptians, question the cloud, and applaud Francis Coppola. But first up, have you got your tickets for Supanova Brisbane? Not long to go now. We are excited for it and are looking forward to watching all the awesome cosplayers and other amazing antics happening on the Saturday. Stop by and say hi if you are there.

Now first up we have news about the most incredible discovery of Egyptian sarcophagi of this millennium, the best in the last century also. Now, we have to say that it is due to a very sneaky priest who hid them to avoid the thieving grave robbers. So, thank you wise priest with your cunning plan. Because of you these remains are safe and will be protected at the new museum being built at Gaza. There were males, females, and children in these sarcophagi, if you want to know more listen in.

Next up we talk about a cloud. Not the soft fluffy kind you see floating through the sky, no, this is an xcloud. What is an xcloud you ask? It is a cloud that is brought to you by xbox and is intended to support mobile gaming with a cross platform goal in the long term. Sounds awesome right, you will finally be able to see the xbox tribe battle against the Playstation civilisation. Not that I’m biased mind you (Playstation rules). If you want to really get a grasp of the situation the Professor has a lot to say about it. So listen in and see what is happening.

Now, for the movie Nerds we have had Francis Coppola slamming Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy as being kind of boring and pointless. To which James Gunn has taken umbrage, and spoken out claiming all sorts of nonsense. Buck takes great offense and gives a passionate response which is worthy of an Oscar Hall of Fame speech. Truly he seems to struggle to remain calm at times. Truly this could be one of his better grumpy old man moments, especially as it gets Professor to become passionate on the subject. If nothing else this is worthy of a listen.

As normal we have the shout out’s, remembrances, birthdays and special events of interest for the week. Also we would like to say good luck to all those undertaking exams at this time, study hard, and do well. Remember, fear is the mind killer, and stress is a by-product of fear, so relax, just think of the Frodo waking up in Rivendell at the end of the Lord of the Rings. That is the joy when you finish your last exam. Until next week, take care of yourselves, look out for each other, and stay hydrated.

EPISODE NOTES:

Egyptian discovery

- https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/30-perfectly-preserved-ancient-egyptian-coffins-unearthed/news-story/fb3984d1247b0102520aed7621b4ff94

- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/egyptian-coffins-mummies-nile-luxor-antiquities-archeology-a9163776.html

Project Xcloud - https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/10/project-xcloud-preview-serves-as-a-passable-portable-xbox-one/

Francis Coppola’s anti marvel remarks and James Gunn’s response - https://deadline.com/2019/10/james-gunn-marvel-francis-ford-coppola-martin-scorsese-guardians-of-the-galaxy-1202764709/

Games currently playing

Buck

- World of Tanks - https://worldoftanks.asia/

Rating : 4/5

Professor

- Battletech - https://store.steampowered.com/app/637090/BATTLETECH/

Rating : 7/10

DJ

- Magic The Gathering : Arena - https://magic.wizards.com/en/mtgarena

Rating : 4/5

Other topic discussed

Midnight Oil ((known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard), Martin Rotsey (guitar) and Bones Hillman (bass guitar)).

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Oil

The Beatles (English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With a line-up comprising John Lennon,Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they are regarded as the most influential band of all time.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles

Luxor (is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Waset, known to the Greeks as Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor

King Tutankhamun’s “curse” also know as "curse of the pharaohs" (probably fuelled by newspapers seeking sales at the time of the discovery)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun#Rumored_curse

Curse of the Pharaohs and their deaths (alleged curse believed by some to be cast upon any person who disturbs the mummy of an Ancient Egyptian person, especially a pharaoh)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_pharaohs#Deaths_popularly_attributed_to_Tutankhamun%27s_curse

“Cursed” gems

- https://mentalfloss.com/article/68465/8-supposedly-cursed-gems

Star of India (a 563.35-carat star sapphire, one of the largest such gems in the world)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_India_(gem)

Koh-I-Noor (one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 g).[a] It is part of the British Crown Jewels.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noor

African sacred ibis also known as Bin Chicken (A species of ibis, it is especially known for its role in the religion of the Ancient Egyptians, where it was linked to the god Thoth, hence the ibis's name.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_sacred_ibis

Cats in ancient Egypt (Several Ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility and power)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_in_ancient_Egypt

Mixer (Seattle-based video game live streaming platform owned by Microsoft.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixer_(service)

Google Stadia (upcoming cloud gaming service operated by Google.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Stadia

Playstation Now (cloud gaming subscription service developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Now

Google stadia recent disappointment

- https://www.cnet.com/news/google-stadias-latest-disappointment-founders-may-not-even-get-it-at-launch/

Ninja moves to Mixer from Twitch

- https://www.businessinsider.com.au/ninja-brought-more-streamers-to-mixer-not-more-viewers-2019-10?r=US&IR=T

Steam Link (hardware and software applications that enable streaming of Steam content from a personal computer or a Steam Machine wirelessly to a television set.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Link

Timeline of Scorcese’s hot take on marvel movies and their responses

- https://deadline.com/2019/10/martin-scorsese-dismisses-marvel-movies-not-cinema-theme-park-james-gunn-the-irishman-1202752509/

- https://deadline.com/2019/10/robert-downey-says-martin-scorsese-stance-on-marvel-makes-no-sense-1202755148/

- https://deadline.com/2019/10/jon-favreau-marvel-films-martin-scorsese-francis-ford-coppolas-comic-book-movies-iron-man-1202766208/

- https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/kevin-smith-martin-scorsese-marvel-movies-emotional-attachment-1202180734/

- https://deadline.com/2019/10/francis-ford-coppola-backs-scorseses-marvel-superhero-movies-analysis-1202764668/

- https://deadline.com/2019/10/james-gunn-marvel-francis-ford-coppola-martin-scorsese-guardians-of-the-galaxy-1202764709/

Logan (2017 American superhero film starring Hugh Jackman as the titular character.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_(film)

Francis Coppola (American film director,producer,screenwriter,film composer, and vintner. He was a central figure in the New Hollywood film making movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ford_Coppola

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992 American gothic horror film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker%27s_Dracula

How Would You Carry a Jaeger From Pacific Rim?

- https://www.wired.com/2013/07/how-would-you-carry-a-jaeger-from-pacific-rim/

The Power of Friendship (Trope)

- https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThePowerOfFriendship

The Rainmaker (1995 novel by John Grisham)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rainmaker_(novel)

The Rainmaker (1997 American legal drama film based on John Grisham's 1995 novel of the same name, and written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rainmaker_(1997_film)

Sergio Leone (Italian film director, producer and screenwriter, credited as the inventor of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Leone

Lord of the Rings (film series)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(film_series)

Wacław Sierpiński and his works

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li59EitdJUk

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Final Trailer

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qn_spdM5Zg

Everybody wants to be a Cat (TNC Podcast)

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/ewtbacpodcast

Floof and Pupper (TNC Podcast)

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/floofandpupperpodcast

Shoutouts

20 Oct 2019 – Borderlands turn 10. Borderlands was a textbook case of being the right game at the right time. It was unique, irreverent, and so full of guns that spending time in its wasteland meant a carefree and cathartic shooting gallery, with plenty to find and collect. - https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/01/30/37-of-the-biggest-video-game-anniversaries-in-2019

21 Oct 1959 - In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opens to the public. The museum was a work of art in itself. Inside, a long ramp spiraled upwards for a total of a quarter-mile around a large central rotunda, topped by a domed glass ceiling. Reflecting Wright’s love of nature, the 50,000-meter space resembled a giant seashell, with each room opening fluidly into the next. - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/guggenheim-museum-opens-in-new-york-city

21 October 1973 - 16-year-old John Paul Getty III’s ear is cut off by his kidnappers and sent to a newspaper in Rome. Because of a postal strike the ear does not arrive until November 8. It is starting to rot. - https://flashbak.com/news-in-photos-john-paul-getty-iiis-ear-is-hacked-off-by-mafia-kidnappers-16309/

Remembrances

21 Oct 1805 - Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, British flag officer in the Royal Navy. He was noted for his inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics, which together resulted in a number of decisive British naval victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was wounded several times in combat, losing the sight in one eye in Corsica at the age of 36, as well as most of one arm in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife. On 21 October 1805, the Franco-Spanish fleet came out of port, and Nelson's fleet engaged them at the Battle of Trafalgar. The battle was Britain's greatest naval victory but during the action Nelson, aboard HMS Victory, was fatally wounded by a French sharpshooter. His body was brought back to England where he was accorded a state funeral. Nelson's death at Trafalgar secured his position as one of Britain's most heroic figures. The significance of the victory and his death during the battle led to his signal, "England expects that every man will do his duty", being regularly quoted, paraphrased and referenced up to the modern day. Numerous monuments, including Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London, and the Nelson Monument in Edinburgh, have been created in his memory and his legacy remains highly influential. He died at the age of 47 in HMS Victory, off Cape Trafalgar - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Nelson,_1st_Viscount_Nelson

21 Oct 1969 - Wacław Sierpiński, Polish mathematician. He was known for contributions to set theory (research on the axiom of choice and the continuum hypothesis), number theory, theory of functions and topology. He published over 700 papers and 50 books. Three well-known fractals are named after him (the Sierpinski triangle, the Sierpinski carpet and the Sierpinski curve), as are Sierpinski numbers and the associated Sierpiński problem. He died at the age of 87 in Warsaw - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wac%C5%82aw_Sierpi%C5%84ski

21 Oct 2014 - Edward Gough Whitlam, 21st Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. He won the 1974 election before being controversially dismissed by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, at the climax of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. Whitlam remains the only Australian prime minister to have his commission terminated in that manner. The Whitlam Government implemented a large number of new programs and policy changes, including the termination of military conscription, institution of universal health care and free university education, and the implementation of legal aid programs. The propriety and circumstances of his dismissal and the legacy of his government have been frequently debated in the decades after he left office. Some say he deposed as part of a CIA plot. He was the longest-lived Australian Prime Minister. He died at age of 98 in Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gough_Whitlam

21 Oct 2015 - Norman W. Moore, British conservationist and author who worked extensively on studies of dragonflies and their habitats and was one of the first people to observe and warn of the adverse effects of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides on wildlife. His pioneering work on nature conservation and his pesticide research led to requests for advice from governmental and other scientific organisations in Europe, India, Australia and the United States. It was his work on dragonflies and conservation that led to him coining the term "the birdwatcher's insect", aiming to raise public interest in the role of insect monitoring in ecosystem conservation. The Independent described him in his obituary as one of the most influential figures in nature conservation in the second half of the 20th century. The British Dragonfly Society administers an award in Moore's honour, called the 'Norman Moore Award Fund'. In addition to this, several species of dragonflies and damselflies are named after Moore. He died at the age of 92 in Swavesey - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_W._Moore

Famous Birthdays

21 Oct 1883 - Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Swedish businessman, chemist, engineer, inventor, and philanthropist. Nobel held 355 different patents, dynamite being the most famous. The synthetic element nobelium was named after him. Known for inventing dynamite, Nobel also owned Bofors, which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments. After reading a premature obituary which condemned him for profiting from the sales of arms, he bequeathed his fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes. His name also survives in modern-day companies such as Dynamit Nobel and AkzoNobel, which are descendants of mergers with companies Nobel himself established. He was born in Stockholm - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel

21 Oct 1929 - Ursula Kroeber Le Guin, American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the Earthsea fantasy series. She was first published in 1959, and her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, yielding more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children's books. Frequently described as an author of science fiction, Le Guin has also been called a "major voice in American Letters", and herself said she would prefer to be known as an "American novelist". Le Guin's writing was enormously influential in the field of speculative fiction and has been the subject of intense critical attention. She received numerous accolades, including eight Hugos, six Nebulas, and twenty-two Locus Awards, and in 2003 became the second woman honored as a Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The U.S. Library of Congress named her a Living Legend in 2000, and in 2014, she won the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Le Guin influenced many other authors, including Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, David Mitchell, Neil Gaiman, and Iain Banks. She was born in Berkeley, California - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin

21 Oct 1956 - Carrie Frances Fisher, American actress, writer, and comedian. Fisher is best known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, a role for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. Her other film credits include Shampoo,The Blues Brothers, Hannah and Her Sisters, The 'Burbs and When Harry Met Sally... She was nominated twice for the Prime time Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performances on the television series 30 Rock and Catastrophe. She was posthumously made a Disney Legend in 2017, and in 2018 she was awarded a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. She also worked on other writers' screenplays as a script doctor, including tightening the scripts for Hook,Sister Act,The Wedding Singer, and many of the films from the Star Wars franchise, among others. In later years, she earned praise for speaking publicly about her experiences with bipolar disorder and drug addiction. She was born in Burbank, California - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Fisher

Events of Interest

21 Oct 1940 - The first edition of the Ernest Hemingway novel For Whom the Bell Tolls was published. It was priced at $2.75 for 75,000 copies. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned to blow up a bridge during an attack on the city of Segovia. The novel is regarded as one of Hemingway's best works, along with The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Whom_the_Bell_Tolls

21 Oct 1944 - HMAS Australia struck in first kamikaze attack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The plane was carrying a 441-pound bomb, but it did not explode. Still, it inflicted serious damage to the ship and its crew. The Australia survived the attack and was repaired in 1945-46. It returned to the water after the war and was retired in August 1954. - http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/September-October-08/On-this-Day--Japanese-Pilots-Begin-Kamikaze-Campaign.html

21 Oct 1983 – The metre is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. This definition only makes sense because the speed of light in vacuum is measured to have the same value by all observers; a fact which is subject to experimental verification. Experiments are still needed to measure the speed of light in media such as air and water. - http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SpeedOfLight/measure_c.html

Intro

Artist – Goblins from Mars

Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)

Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ

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[1962dude420-blog]

Today we remember the passing of Bobby Keys who Died: December 2, 2014 in Franklin, Tennessee

Robert Henry Keys (December 18, 1943 – December 2, 2014) was an American saxophonist who performed with other musicians as a member of several horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Nilsson, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, George Harrison, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and other prominent musicians. Keys played on hundreds of recordings and was a touring musician from 1956 until his death in 2014.

Bobby Keys was born at Lubbock Army Airfield near Slaton, Texas, where his father, Bill Keys, was in the U.S. Army Air Corps. His mother, Lucy Keys, was 16 when she gave birth to Robert Henry (Bobby), her first child. By 1946, Bill Keys got a job for the Santa Fe Railroad in Belen, New Mexico. The family moved to Belen, but young Robert stayed with his grandparents in Slaton, Texas, an arrangement he was quite happy with. Bill and Lucy would have three more children, Gary and twins Debbie and Daryl. Lucy Keys Brubaker went on to become a state senator in New Mexico.

Keys started touring at age fifteen with Buddy Holly and fellow Texan Buddy Knox.Keys met the Rolling Stones at the San Antonio Teen Fair while sharing a bill with the group as a member of Bobby Vee's band in 1964. He is best known for his impressive resume as a musician (most notably the saxophone solo on the 1971 Rolling Stones hit "Brown Sugar") and his friendship with Keith Richards. Keys and Richards share the same date of birth. Notably, Keys and Richards threw a television set from the 10th floor of the Continental Hyatt House in West Hollywood, California during the group's 1972 American tour, as seen in the Stones' unreleased 1972 concert movie Cocksucker Blues. After renewing his acquaintance with the band via Gram Parsons, a mutual friend, Keys made his debut with The Rolling Stones on the Let It Bleed track "Live with Me" in 1969. In addition to "Brown Sugar," he was prominently featured on such early 1970s Stones songs as "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," "Rip This Joint" and "Sweet Virginia."

Keys and Mick Jagger also became close in the early 1970s, with Keys serving as best man at Jagger's wedding. Together with Jim Price on trumpet, Keys toured with the Stones from 1970 to 1973. Along with trumpeter Steve Madaio and fellow saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, Keys continued as a touring member for the first half of the 1973 European tour before leaving in Frankfurt, Germany on September 30. According to legend, Keys was abruptly dismissed by an incensed Jagger after filling a bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne (resulting in a debt to the band that significantly exceeded his entire salary for the tour) and drinking most of it. Although Keys did not dispute the veracity of the incident, he subsequently maintained in his memoir that he left the tour of his own volition to curtail his heroin addiction for the sake of his family. As a result of his strained relationship with Jagger, Keys only guested on some shows of the 1975 and 1978 American tours, missing the 1976 European tour completely.

Richards recalled Keys overcoming Jagger's objections to returning to the band: Years later, the Stones were rehearsing for another tour. This was 1980-something, and I bought Bobby a ticket and said, “Just get your ass here. When we rehearse ‘Brown Sugar,’ just sneak up and do the solo, man.” Once we did “Brown Sugar,” Bobby hit the solo and then I looked at Mick like, “You see what I mean, Mick?” And Mick looked at me and says, “Yeah, you can’t argue with that.” Once he just played those few notes, there really was no question. So Mick relented and said, “Okay, let’s get Bob back in the band.”

Keys performed only four tracks on the 1981 tour, on which Ernie Watts was the saxophonist. Keys was reinstated as the band's main touring saxophonist on the 1982 European Tour, together with Gene Barge. Keys played with the Stones on all subsequent tours up to his death.

Prior to touring with the Stones, Keys played with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends with Eric Clapton and George Harrison in 1969. In particular, during the year 1970 he gave an extraordinary series of notable performances. Keys started the year working on Clapton's first solo LP. With Leon Russell, he supported Joe Cocker on the 48-city Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour; the live album Mad Dogs & Englishmen was released later in the year, followed by a concert movie in 1971. During the tour, Cocker and the band were accompanied by a largely American entourage, including a choir, friends, wives, children, groupies and a single dog named Canina; the entire group numbered almost 40 people. After work on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and more Sticky Fingers tracks, he joined the Rolling Stones for their fall 1970 European tour.

From 1973 to 1975, Keys participated in Lennon's "Lost Weekend" in Los Angeles along with Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon; while in Los Angeles, he played on Lennon's albums Walls and Bridges (including a notable solo on the #1 American hit "Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and Rock 'n' Roll. Although Keys' voice is heard on the last known recording session between Paul McCartney and Lennon (widely bootlegged as A Toot and a Snore in '74), he could not recall contributing to the session. He also played the solo on Leo Sayer's 1977 international soft rock hit "When I Need You" from the Endless Flight album.

In 1979, Keys was part of a Rolling Stones spin-off band called The New Barbarians (which also included Ronnie Wood & Keith Richards) that played two concerts in Canada and eighteen shows across the United States in April and May 1979.

In 1989, Keys became the musical director for Ronnie Wood's new Miami club, Woody's On the Beach. The first week the club opened Keys booked Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and the Crickets. In the early 1990s Keys was a resident of Miami and had a band with former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, Nicky Hopkins, Ivan Neville, former Stephen Stills bassist Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels and others called Tumbling Dice. Although better known as a session musician, Keys released two albums of his own in the 1970s: a self-titled instrumental album on Warner Bros. Records that featured Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Eric Clapton in 1972; and Gimme the Key on Ringo Starr's record label Ring O'Records in 1975.

Keys appeared on December 16, 2011, with the Athens, Georgia-based band Bloodkin in their "Exile on Lumpkin Street" show at the Georgia Theater, which re-opened in August 2011 in its remodeled and enlarged space after the building had been gutted by fire in June 2009. Besides performing some of their own music, Bloodkin performed with Keys on numerous hits from three of the biggest Stones' albums on which Keys had performed, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main St.

In 2013 he played with the Rolling Stones at their Glastonbury Festival debut, headlining on Saturday, June 29. Keys played on their 14 On Fire tour with Roskilde Festival in Denmark being his last ever gig for the Stones. Keys was married to Holly Keys. Bobby's children are Amber Keys, Huck Keys, Jesse Keys and his step-son Randy Kaune. Bobby Keys died from liver cancer in hospice care at his home in Franklin, Tennessee, on December 2, 2014, sixteen days before his 71st birthday.

[johnpornjones]

Happy birthday Robert Anthony Plant ! ♥♥♥

I have a story to share. When I was 14 (that was already almost 11 years ago, considering I’m gonna reach 25 in a month and 3 days, god), my wonderful Dad, who’s listening wonderful music, made me discover Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd... and the list goes on and on and on, because this is a long list. I absolutely loved all those bands already. Couldn’t help but listen, tried to figure out the lyrics (no internet at home, or at least, my Dad didn’t want I go on the internet, except for school researches, which may be rude, but no, he was right.

My Mom, let me use her computer whenever I wanted to, except it was a poor half an hour use, and 2 hours per day the week end (better). My Dad wasn’t thrilled by that, but I was a good girl, and I listened to my parents, so I used the computer wisely.

I had no phone which could play music at this period, and my godfather bought me a big stereo, and I was so happy. My Mom wasn’t tho. Why ? Because I played all the time all the CD’s I borrowed to my Dad, and my Mom doesn’t liked most of them (rude, Mom, rude).

Later, I moved to my Dad’s place, and surprise, permanent internet (I was 15 and entered high shcool), of course he warned me, and I followed his advices...Oh well, no on week ends tho. Lmao.

I created a blog with friends (still my friends) on music. We called ourselves the Fab 4 Girls due to our passion for The Beatles. I was George. Léa was Ringo, Elsa was Paul and Héloïse was John. Ah the souvenirs.

My passion for Led Zeppelin striked when Elsa played a complete version of Heartbreaker (yes, yes with the solo), and I was stunned. I already played guitar, but I was terrible, like, awful, I only knew 3 chords : A, E and D...

Oh well, what about Zeppelin then ? I started to love them a lot. My favorite was... Jimmy. Oh you weren’t expecting that, are you ? lmao. Then Robert. Because damn, “He’s so beautiful and those guitar parts !” I told my friends and my Dad.

My Dad bought me a new amp (The Vox DA-20 I’m using). I still had this poor excuse for an electric guitar, but this was my first electric guitar after all, conidering I played only on an acoustic guitar when I began playing, my fingers killed me ! 

So I tried to figure out the chords of songs with Léa. We were quite untalented unfortunately.

But I went deep into music, discovering new things, buying new albums, sharing with my Fab girls, and my Dad, who was supporting us a lot.

I started taking guitar lesson (not with Jay, save him for later) with a Iron Maiden and Metallica fan (and metal in general), but he moved so we stopped quickly, what a shame, he was nice. School doesn’t allowed me to play guitar anymore.

But I didn’t stopped listening to music. My favorite Led Zeppelin album was and still is Houses Of The Holy. And that’s a fact, I was listening more to Rob’s powerful voice that Jim’s guitar. And godness, I saw a hell of a lot of pictures of Rob, and I was mesmerized by his goddamn hair, his height... and his damn tight pants. :D

I was only listening to Led Zeppelin, I bought all their albums, bought a Jimmy Page shirt (too big for me), A 4 symbols shirt (still fits me). I wanted to play guitar again. But school. Intership. High school diploma (don’t know what it is called exactly).

Hard work. All the time. Mental breakdown. Depression. 

I gained weight. I went from 120 pound to 154 pounds. In a short time. 

More depression. I was harrassed at shcool because I was the one constently working until I collapse.

I have my qualifications. I quitted school. Find a job. Was harrassed by my boss. Quitted. Had a car crash. Never found a job again. I have dyspraxia.

But river always reach the sea, I found my light in the end of the tunnel. Music.

Still, I had enough determination to play guitar again, and met Jay. Ah Jay. He saved me. I met him after I finished school. I went in a guitar shop to find me a new guitar (now known as “Pagey”, The Stratocaster). I talked to him, he was testing new amps. We became friends. He told me he was a guitar teacher and accepted to give me lessons. Later I met my piano teacher, Gil, and Fabien, and we’re close.

... Wait, it is a personal story, or the story on how I discovered Led Zeppelin ?

... Well, Jay’s favorite guitarist is Jimmy Page.  I laughed at the coincidence, and replied, well, it seems we’re listening to the same music.

What about Rob, then ? Well, he blows my mind.

... And my Dad brought me to Colmar 2 years ago, on August 12.

PURE MAGIC. Unforgettable. Mindblowing.Plus I was in the first row. Just in front of Robert. And he DID winked at me, smiled at me and my damn heart melted.

His voice, his curls, his everything. Ah my Golden God. Since then, him and Jonesy are my favorite members of Led Zeppelin. And I’m so proud of being part of the Zeppelin community, on Facebook, on Tumblr. I have fantastic friends.

Happy 69th birthday, Robert ! :D

@waywaydowninside @squeezemylemon 

[amoralto]

Do you think that Paul and John were lovers?

I hereby modestly refer you to my previous non-answers to similar asks here and here. And since I’m currently under the weather (the sickly feelings of which I’ve unceremoniously compounded with my poor dietary decisions, i.e. having a Conference cocktail and kaya on toast at three in the morning) and mildly delirious from medication, and I haven’t started to care that today’s my birthday and probably won’t, and I’m feeling altogether rather absurd, here’s a bit of fanfiction for you:

In his weaker moments, John allows himself to imagine where else they would have ended up—playing minstrel and exhausting Paris, doing Humphrey Lyttelton on the revival revue, monkeying for festival cruises between London and Margate, circling the drain. Him still trying to be Smokey Elvis Vincent and Paul beside him singing I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls that you loved me just the same, songs old enough to be new again. The two of them together and alone in every scenario, George and Ringo and Pete and all the rest of them done and dusted, all thoughts and memory of Jim and the brother and the extended McCartney clan banished to some inconsequential past. Just him and Paul and their onlyness.

[talhaghafoor2019-blog]

50 Years Ago: 1969 in Rock Music | Best Classic Bands

50 Years Ago: 1969 in Rock Music

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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to the music of 1969? Perhaps it’s Woodstock, the rock festival that still defines the very concept of the rock festival. Or maybe it’s one of the year’s many great albums—if you’re like us, you still listen to Tommy, Volunteers, The Band, Blind Faith,  Led Zeppelin II and amazing debuts rom Santana and Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as many others that were born in 1969.

Rock was still very exciting as the ’60s came to a close, with bands and artists from both America and across the Atlantic turning out some of their most memorable work. Talk about prolific: Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that had just made its name known the year before, landed no less than three albums in the top 10 in 1969: Bayou Country, the #1 Green River and Willy and the Poor Boys. The Stones were on a roll, following up the previous year’s brilliant Beggars Banquet with the equally superb Let it Bleed—while saying goodbye to one member and adding a new one. The Beatles were beginning to wind down, but we didn’t know that at the time—when they released Abbey Road, we just took it for granted that they were once again evolving.

Although there was a whole new rock sound, a more mature, progressive approach that found its home on FM radio and in the ballrooms sprouting up around the country, AM radio hitmakers were also still grabbing our ears (and our wallets)—a look at the hit singles of the year reveals numerous gems by artists that never quite made that leap to hipville but whose contributions still find their way to our playlists.

We went back in time 50 years and compiled a chronological timeline of the year’s top events (including album releases) in rock music. Then we listed the bands that formed during that year, and those that called it quits. Finally, we compiled a list of the year’s top singles. Looking at it all now, we have to admit that we were all very lucky to have this music in our lives—and we still are!

1969 Music Timeline

Jan. 5—Creedence Clearwater Revival releases Bayou Country

Jan. 12—The self-titled debut album by Led Zeppelin is released

Jan. 13—The Beatles release the soundtrack for Yellow Submarine

Jan. 17—Dr. John releases Babylon, Iron Butterfly releases Ball, Aretha Franklin releases Soul ’69

Jan. 22—Neil Young releases his self-titled debut album

Jan. 30—The Beatles give their final public performance on the rooftop of the Apple building in London; on the same date, Moby Grape releases Moby Grape ’69

Jan. ?—Tommy James and the Shondells release Crimson & Clover, Donovan releases Greatest Hits, Fleetwood Mac releases English Rose, and Fairport Convention releases What We Did on Our Holidays

Watch Tommy James & the Shondell’s perform “Crimson & Clover”

Jan. ?—Three of the Beatles—John, George and Ringo—hire Allen Klein as their new manager; Paul does not sign on with the American Feb. ?—Paul McCartney hires the law firm of the father of his girlfriend, Linda Eastman, to represent him Feb. 5—Cream releases Goodbye

Listen to “Badge” from Cream’s Goodbye

Feb. 10—The Beach Boys release 20/20

Feb. 15—The Monkees release Instant Replay

Feb. 17—Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash record together in Nashville; the Temptations release Cloud Nine

Feb. 18—British singer Lulu and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees are married

Feb. 21—Mary Hopkin releases Postcard

Feb. 22—Ten Years After releases Stonedhenge

Feb. ?—Jefferson Airplane releases Bless its Pointed Little Head, the Flying Burrito Brothers release The Gilded Palace of Sin, MC5 releases Kick Out the Jams

March 1—Jim Morrison of the Doors is arrested for allegedly exposing himself onstage in Miami

March 5—The Byrds release Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde

March 7—Genesis releases From Genesis to Revelation

March 12—Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman are married in London; on the same day, George Harrison and his wife Pattie are arrested for possession of hashish

March 14—Free releases Tons of Sobs

March 17—The Rascals release Freedom Suite

March 20—John Lennon and Yoko Ono are married in Gibraltar; several days later, during their honeymoon in Amsterdam, they stage a multi-day “bed-in” for peace

March 24—The Mothers of Invention release Mothermania

March 30—The Bee Gees release Odessa

March 31—Dusty Springfield releases Dusty in Memphis

Listen to “Son of a Preacher Man”

March ?—Steppenwolf releases At Your Birthday Party, 13th Floor Elevators release Bull of the Woods, Blue Cheer releases New! Improved!, James Brown releases Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud), Spooky Tooth releases Spooky Two, the Velvet Underground releases their self-titled album, the Guess Who releases Wheatfield Soul

April 1—The Beach Boys sue Capitol Records for unpaid royalties; on the same date, Nazz releases Nazz Nazz, and Leonard Cohen releases Songs From a Room

April 9—Bob Dylan releases Nashville Skyline

Watch Bob Dylan sing “I Threw It All Away” on The Johnny Cash Show

April 15—Al Green releases Green is Blues

April 20—At a free rock festival in Venice, Calif., audience members riot and more than 100 are arrested

April 21—The Mothers of Invention release Uncle Meat

April 22—The Who performs their rock opera Tommy in full for the first time, in the U.K.

Joe Cocker at Woodstock

April 23—Joe Cocker releases With a Little Help From My Friends

April 30—Marvin Gaye releases M.P.G.

April ?—The London cast recording of Hair is released, Bob Seger System releases Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, Savoy Brown releases Blue Matter, Townes Van Zandt releases Our Mother the Mountain

May 1—Joni Mitchell releases Clouds

May 3—Sly and the Family Stone release their album Stand!; also on this date, Jimi Hendrix is arrested for heroin possession in Toronto

May 9—George Harrison releases Electronic Sound, John Lennon and Yoko Ono release Unfinished Music No. 2: Life With the Lions

Members of the Turtles hang at the White House with Tricia Nixon

May 10—The Turtles perform at the White House at the request of President Nixon’s daughter, Tricia

May 12—Muddy Waters releases After the Rain

May 14—Neil Young and Crazy Horse release Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

May 16—Phil Ochs releases Rehearsals for Retirement, Tyrannosaurus Rex releases Unicorn

May 19—Poco releases Pickin’ Up the Pieces

May 23—The Who releases Tommy

May 26—Diana Ross and the Supremes release Let the Sunshine In

May 29—Crosby, Stills and Nash release their self-titled debut album

June 2—John and Yoko stage another bed-in, this time in Montreal; they record “Give Peace a Chance” live there

June 4—Johnny Cash releases At San Quentin

June 6—Elton John releases Empty Sky

June 7—Blind Faith—featuring Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Ginger Baker, with bassist Ric Grech—performs for free in Hyde Park

June 11—Three Dog Night releases Suitable for Framing

June 13—Guitarist Mick Taylor joins the Rolling Stones; Pink Floyd releases More

June 16—Steve Miller Band releases Brave New World, Captain Beefheart releases Trout Mask Replica

June 20—The Grateful Dead releases Aoxomoxoa

June 21—Deep Purple releases their self-titled album

June 29—Bassist Noel Redding leaves the Jimi Hendrix Experience

June ?—The Jeff Beck Group releases Beck-Ola, Elvis Presley releases From Elvis in Memphis, Johnny Winter and Lee Michaels release self-titled albums, Alice Cooper releases Pretties for You, Procol Harum releases A Salty Dog

July 3—Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones is found dead in the swimming pool at his home in Sussex, England; Fairport Convention releases Unhalfbricking

July 4—The two-day Atlanta International Pop Festival begins in Georgia

July 5—The Rolling Stones perform a free concert in Hyde Park in London, both to pay tribute to Jones and introduce Taylor; Cass Elliot releases Bubblegum, Lemonade, and…Something for Mama

July 10—Tim Buckley releases Happy Sad July 14—The Film Easy Rider is released, featuring music by the Byrds, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Steppenwolf and others

July 19—The Doors release The Soft Parade

Columbia Records had quite the artist roster, as seen in this 1969 industry ad

July 25—Yes releases Yes

July 29—The Byrds’ Preflyte is released

July 31—Elvis Presley makes his first live concert appearance in years, in Las Vegas; the residency lasts through August

July ?—Moby Grape releases Truly Fine Citizen, Country Joe and the Fish release Here We Go Again, Leslie West releases Mountain, Delaney and Bonnie release The Original Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

Aug. 1—The Atlantic City Pop Festival begins in New Jersey, through the 3rd; also on this date, Jethro Tull releases Stand Up and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band releases Tadpoles

Aug. 5—The Stooges release their self-titled debut

Listen to “Atlantis” from Barabajagal

Aug. 15—The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair begins in Bethel, N.Y., drawing an estimated 400,000; it ends on the morning of the 18th

Watch: Richie Havens opens Woodstock

Aug. 29—Stevie Wonder releases My Cherie Amour and Jack Bruce releases Songs for a Tailor

Aug. 30—The Isle of Wight Festival is held in the U.K., featuring Bob Dylan, the Band, the Who and many others

Aug. ?—Humble Pie releases As Safe As Yesterday Is, Blind Faith releases their self-titled (and only) album, Boz Scaggs releases his self-titled album, Love releases Four Sail, Muddy Waters releases Fathers and Sons, Harry Nilsson releases Harry, Grand Funk Railroad releases On Time, Santana releases their self-titled debut and Ten Years After releases Ssssh

Sept. 1—Nick Drake releases Five Leaves Left

Sept. 11—Janis Joplin releases her first solo album, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

Sept. 13—John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band perform at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, also featuring Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and others

Sept. 19—Fleetwood Mac’s Then Play On is released

Sept. 22—The Band releases their self-titled second album. Read our Album Rewind review here.

Sept. 23—Isaac Hayes releases Hot Buttered Soul, the Temptations release Puzzle People, Diana Ross and the Supremes release Together

Sept. 24—Deep Purple performs at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Laura Nyro’s New York Tendaberry is released

Sept. 26—The Beatles release Abbey Road

Sept. ?—The Guess Who releases Canned Wheat, the Nice releases The Nice, the Flamin’ Groovies release Supersnazz, the Bob Seger System releases Noah, Savoy Brown releases A Step Further

Oct. 1—The Monkees release The Monkees Present

Oct. 9—The Carpenters release Ticket to Ride

Oct. 10—The Kinks release Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), Frank Zappa releases Hot Rats, King Crimson releases In the Court of the Crimson King

Oct. 14—Diana Ross and the Supremes release their final single, “Someday We’ll Be Together,” which becomes the last #1 hit of the ’60s; Elvis Presley releases Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

Oct. 16—Three Dog Night releases Captured Live at the Forum

Oct. 20—John Lennon and Yoko Ono release Wedding Album

Oct. 22—Led Zeppelin releases their second album, simply titled Led Zeppelin II

Oct. 27—Johnny Winter releases Second Winter

Watch Johnny Winter at Woodstock

Oct. ?—Pentangle releases Basket of Light, Spirit releases Clear, Free releases their self-titled album, the Turtles release Turtle Soup, Tom Jones releases Live in Las Vegas

Nov. 1—Elvis Presley hits #1 for the first time in seven years, with “Suspicious Minds”

Watch the King perform the hit in 1970

Nov. 2—Creedence Clearwater Revival releases their third album of the year, Willy and the Poor Boys

Nov. 4—The Allman Brothers Band releases their self-titled album, David Bowie releases his self-titled album

Nov. 10—The Byrds release The Ballad of Easy Rider, the Grateful Dead release Live/Dead

Nov. 21—The Moody Blues release To Our Children’s Children’s Children

Nov. 24—Tim Buckley releases Blue Afternoon

Nov. ?—The Hollies release Hollies Sing Hollies, the Bonzo Dog Band releases Keynsham,  Joe Cocker releases his self-titled album, Manfred Mann Chapter Three and Mott the Hoople also release self-titled albums, Steppenwolf releases Monster, Rod Stewart releases The Rod Stewart Album, Humble Pie releases Town and Country, Jefferson Airplane releases Volunteers, the Steve Miller Band releases Your Saving Grace

Dec. 5—The Rolling Stones release Let It Bleed. Read our Album Rewind review here.

Watch a 2003 live version of the title track from Let It Bleed

Dec. 6—The ill-fated free concert at California’s Altamont Speedway, starring the Rolling Stones and others, leads to a murder and other violent acts; on the same day, the Jackson 5 release their debut album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5

Dec. 12—The Plastic Ono Band (with John and Yoko) releases Live Peace in Toronto 1969

Dec. 29—Grand Funk Railroad releases Grand Funk

More 1969 albums, release dates unknown:

Mike Bloomfield—It’s Not Killing Me

The Climax Blues Band—The Climax Blues Band

The Fugs—The Belle of Avenue A

The Good Rats—The Good Rats

Norman Greenbaum—Spirit in the Sky

The Hollies—The Hollies Sing Dylan

Howlin’ Wolf—The Howlin’ Wolf Album

Isley Brothers—Live at Yankee Stadium

Jackie Lomax—Is This What You Want

Watch John Mayall live in 1969

Pacific Gas & Electric—Pacific Gas & Electric

Peanut Butter Conspiracy—For Children of All Ages

Rare Earth—Get Ready

Jerry Jeff Walker—Driftin’ Way of Life

The Youngbloods—Elephant Mountain

Warren Zevon—Wanted Dead or Alive

Bands that formed in 1969 (alphabetically) The Allman Brothers Band, April Wine, Atomic Rooster,  Badfinger, Brinsley Schwarz, Brownsville Station, the Carpenters, Crazy Horse, Curved Air, Eggs Over Easy, Faces, Fanny, Focus, Hall and Oates, Hawkwind, Head East, Hot Chocolate, Humble Pie, Judas Priest, Juicy Lucy, Kraftwerk, Lighthouse, Little Feat, Mountain, Mungo Jerry, Nektar, New Riders of the Purple Sage, New Seekers, Osibisa, Pink Fairies, Plastic Ono Band, Popol Vuh, Redbone, Renaissance, the Residents, Seals and Crofts, Sha Na Na, Steel Mill, Steeleye Span, Stone the Crows, Supertramp, Thin Lizzy, Thunderclap Newman, Toe Fat, Tucky Buzard, War, Tony Williams Lifetime, Wishbone Ash, ZZ Top Bands that broke up in 1969 (alphabetically) The Action, Amen Corner, American Breed, Ars Nova, Beacon Street Union, Beau Brummels, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Dick and Dee Dee, Dillard and Clark, Dino, Desi and Billy, the Easybeats, Frumious Bandersnatch, H.P. Lovecraft, the Jeff Beck Group, the Left Banke, the Lemon Pipers, the Lovin’ Spoonful, Manfred Mann, the Merry-Go-Round, the Mojo Men, the Music Machine, the Paupers, Spanky and Our Gang, the Spencer Davis Group, Ultimate Spinach

And finally, a selection of the year’s hit singles (alphabetically by artist)…

The Archies—“Sugar Sugar”

The Beach Boys—“I Can Hear Music,” “Break Away”

The Beatles—“Get Back,” “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” “Something”/“Come Together”

The Bee Gees—“I Started a Joke”

Blood, Sweat and Tears—“Spinning Wheel,” “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”

Booker T. and the MG’s—“Time is Tight,” “Hang ’Em High”

David Bowie—“Space Oddity”

Watch the video for the rare early version of “Space Oddity”

The Box Tops—“Soul Deep”

The Brooklyn Bridge—“Worst That Could Happen”

James Brown—“Mother Popcorn, Pt. 1”

Jerry Butler—“Only the Strong Survive”

Glen Campbell—“Galveston”

Johnny Cash—“A Boy Named Sue”

Checkmates Ltd.—“Black Pearl”

Lou Christie—“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”

Classics IV—“Traces”

The Cowsills—“Hair”

Crazy Elephant—“Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’”

Cream—“Badge”

Creedence Clearwater Revival—“Bad Moon Rising,” “Proud Mary,” “Green River”

Crosby, Stills and Nash—“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”

The Cuff Links—“Tracy”

Sammy Davis Jr.—“I’ve Gotta Be Me”

Tyrone Davis—“Can I Change Your Mind”

Desmond Dekker and the Aces—“Israelites”

Jackie DeShannon—“Put a Little Love in Your Heart”

Neil Diamond—“Sweet Caroline”

Bob Dylan—“Lay Lady Lay”

The 5th Dimension—“Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing”

Fleetwood Mac—“Oh Well”

The Flying Machine—“Smile a Little Smile for Me”

The Foundations—“Build Me Up Buttercup”

Friends of Distinction—“Grazing in the Grass”

Marvin Gaye—“I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”

The Grass Roots—“I’d Wait a Million Years”

Edwin Hawkins Singers—“Oh Happy Day”

Jimi Hendrix Experience���“Stone Free”/“If Six Was Nine”

The Hollies—“He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” “Sorry Suzanne”

Mary Hopkin—“Goodbye”

The Isley Brothers—“It’s Your Thing”

Jay and the Americans—“This Magic Moment”

Tommy James and the Shondells—“Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Sweet Cherry Wine”

Tom Jones—“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”

Janis Joplin—“Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)”

Led Zeppelin—“Whole Lotta Love”

Mercy—“Love Can Make You Happy”

The Monkees—“Listen to the Band”

Nilsson—“Everybody’s Talkin’”

Oliver—“Good Morning Starshine,” “Jean”

Peter, Paul and Mary—“Leaving on a Jet Plane”

Elvis Presley—“In the Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds”

Billy Preston—“That’s the Way God Planned It”

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap—“This Girl is a Woman Now”

Lou Rawls—“Your Good Thing (Is About to End)”

Tommy Roe—“Dizzy”

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition—“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”

The Rolling Stones—“Honky Tonk Women”

Diana Ross and the Supremes—“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” “I’m Livin’ in Shame,” “Love Child,” “Someday We’ll Be Together”

David Ruffin—“My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)”

Bob Seger System—“Ramblin’, Gamblin’ Man”

Simon and Garfunkel—“The Boxer”

Frank Sinatra—“My Way”

Sly and the Family Stone—“Everyday People,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime”

Smith—“Baby It’s You”

Joe South—“Games People Play”

Spiral Starecase—“More Today Than Yesterday”

Dusty Springfield—“Son of a Preacher Man”

Edwin Starr—“Twenty-Five Miles”

Ray Stevens—“Gitarzan”

The Temptations—“Cloud Nine,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Runaway Child, Running Wild”

B.J. Thomas—“Hooked on a Feeling,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”

Three Dog Night—“Easy to Be Hard,” “One”

Thunderclap Newman—“Something in the Air”

The Turtles—“You Showed Me”

The Ventures—“Hawaii Five-O”

Jr. Walker and the All Stars—“What Does it Take (To Win Your Love)”

Dionne Warwick—“This Girl’s In Love With You”

Tony Joe White—“Polk Salad Annie”

The Winstons—“Color Him Father”

Stevie Wonder—“For Once in My Life,” “My Cherie Amour,” “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday”

Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band—“Do Your Thing”

The Youngbloods—“Get Together”

Zager & Evans—“In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)”

The Zombies—”Time of the Season”

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[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Yoko Ono’s Music of the ’70s is Back

Yoko Ono and John Lennon in a film still from “Imagine,” 1972 (photo by Peter Fordham, ©Yoko Ono)

If the decade of the1960s was a period in which many bands helped expand rock’s expressive language, the following decade, at least in the United States, was dominated by singer-songwriters voicing personal takes on life and love, and on a range of social and political issues, too.

Reaching beyond familiar be-my-baby, my-baby-left-me clichés to plumb more complex emotional depths, singer-songwriters of the 1970s were legion: Laura Nyro, Janis Ian, Carole King, Carly Simon, Roberta Flack, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, John Denver, Jim Croce, Todd Rundgren, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen…

…and Yoko Ono.

Yoko Ono record-album covers: “Fly,” 1971; “Approximately Infinite Universe,” 1973; and “Feeling The Space,” 1973 (cover photos, left to right: John Lennon, © Yoko Ono; © Bob Gruen; collage photos © Bob Gruen)

Yes, Yoko, who in the early 1970s composed and recorded a series of albums whose technical innovations, narrative themes, and emotional temperatures were as wide-ranging as those of many of her chart-topping peers. Now, these stylistically diverse Ono albums, including Fly (1971), Approximately Infinite Universe (1973), and Feeling the Space (1973), have been jointly re-released by Secretly Canadian and Chimera Music. They constitute the second batch of newly re-mastered Ono albums from past decades that have been jointly issued by these two U.S.-based labels since late last year. Over the next few years, they will continue re-releasing all of the albums Ono made through the mid-1980s as vinyl LPs, compact discs, and digital downloads.

For their joint re-releases of Yoko Ono’s albums, the record companies Secretly Canadian and Chimera Music have created new vinyl-LP and CD labels inspired by Ono’s book, “Grapefruit,” 1964; they recall the fruit-decorated labels of Apple Records, the company that originally issued these recordings (photos courtesy of Secretly Canadian and Chimera Music)

Ono, who was already well known on New York’s avant-garde art and music scene, married John Lennon in Gibraltar in March 1969. In December of the following year, they issued their first solo albums, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band. Then, in early 1971, they began producing Fly at a studio they had set up at their home near London around the same time Lennon started recording the tracks that would become Imagine, his second solo album after the Beatles’ break-up in early 1970.

Lennon and Ono regarded JL/POB and YO/POB as companion musical statements reflecting the fruitful exchange of aesthetic, musical, and other ideas they had enjoyed since the beginning of their romantic relationship and creative collaboration, although it would take years for critics (of rock music and, later, visual art) to appreciate the varied and profound ways in which these two artists from dramatically different social, intellectual, and cultural backgrounds had influenced each other’s thinking.

Lennon’s pun-loving humor and penchant for soul-baring introspection (in such songs as “Help!,” “Nowhere Man,” “Mother,” and “God”) blended remarkably well with the distinctive strain of idealism and self-containment expressed in Ono conceptual, often instruction-based art. Meanwhile, the Japanese-born artist, who had studied music composition at Sarah Lawrence College in the 1950s before moving to Manhattan to pursue her career as an artist, was a quick study once Lennon introduced her to rock’n’roll and the workings of the modern recording studio.

Reflecting his state of mind following the Beatles’ break-up (during which period the Lennons took part in the Los Angeles-based psychologist Arthur Janov’s primal-scream therapy), Lennon’s first solo album featured spare arrangements, stripped-down lyrics, and raw emotion.

But already in the late 1960s, Ono had begun using screams, yelps, wails, grunts, and bursts of guttural sounds in performances set against the improvisational accompaniment of an ensemble such as Ornette Coleman’s free-jazz quartet. She brought those orgasmic screams, squeals, gasps, and whispers to the making of YO/POB, which opened with a searing barn burner, “Why,” and included the multilayered sound collages “Greenfield Morning I Pushed an Empty Baby Carriage All Over the City” and “Paper Shoes.”

On Fly, a double-record set, Ono brought experimental sounds and textures to both familiar song forms and more unconventional compositions. The album erupts with “Midsummer New York,” a straight-ahead rocker, then bumps up against “Mindtrain,” a long, funk-rock romp in which Ono’s sputtering, multi-tracked vocals ride the wave of a throbbing, driving beat.

Apple Records advertisement for Yoko Ono’s single, “Mindtrain,” from the album “Fly,” 1971 (photo in poster by Iain Macmillian; photo of poster courtesy of Yoko Ono)

The album features guitarists Lennon and Eric Clapton, bassist Klaus Voorman, and drummer Ringo Starr on “Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for a Hand in the Snow),” in which Ono warbles and shrieks a portion of the song’s title against a slashing rhythm section. One of the singles from the album was the ethereal ballad “Mrs. Lennon,” with its unfolding of yearning minor chords rising gently from Lennon’s piano. Fly’s arrangements often feature mood-setting, layered percussion, including such instruments as claves and the tabla in songs like “O’Wind (Body is the Scar of Your Mind).”

Elsewhere, Ono uses tape delay and vocal overdubs to create fluttering, polyrhythmic passages in such sound-collage compositions as “Airmale” and “You.” Fly’s title piece served as the soundtrack of Ono’s 1970 film of the same name, in which the camera follows a fly crawling over the surface of a reposing, naked woman’s body; the artist vocalizes in imitation of the insect’s erratic buzz. The album’s sound is also distinguished by original musical instruments created by Joe Jones (1934-1993), Ono’s friend and colleague in the avant-garde Fluxus artists’ group of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Poster that came with the album “Fly,” 1971 (photos in poster © Raeanne Rubinstein; photo of poster courtesy of Yoko Ono)

If, on YO/POB and Fly, Ono most demonstrably fused rock and avant-garde music, on Approximately Infinite Universe (1973), another double-record set, she explored rock and Western pop-song genres — blues, ballads, Latin beat, folk, and more. As with the varied song stylings of such 1960s bands as the Kinks and, yes, the Beatles (notably on the 1968 White Album), or of a 1970s soloist like Todd Rundgren, the tracks featured on Ono’s AIU range from the sultry-brooding “Death of Samantha” to the funky “What Did I Do?,” the bluesy “Is Winter Here to Stay?,” and “I Have a Woman Inside My Soul,” a molasses drop of melancholic reverie wrapped in a coating of smoky soul.

Several of Ono’s songs on AIU tell stories — women’s stories, either from an introspective, first-person point of view, or from that of an attentive observer — including its explosive title number, in which she sings:

In this approximately infinite universe, I know a girl who’s in constant hell. No love or pill could keep her cool, ’Cause there’s a thousand holes in her heart.

“Sometimes a song will begin with the words,” Ono told me in an interview at her home in Manhattan late last year. More recently, during a chat on the occasion of the artist’s 84th birthday a few months ago, I asked her about the characters whose slice-of-life images she paints in her songs. She said, “Their emotions are very real. They’re all of us, really, like the girl who walks across the lake in ‘Walking on Thin Ice’ [1981]. She senses that it’s dangerous but she takes a chance. When I made those records, I paid close attention to how I sung certain words, because they’re key to how a story is told and to how a listener understands.” Ono then softly sang, “I know a girl who’s in constant hell,” tapping her knee on “girl” and “hell.”

Original logo by Yoko Ono for the “Approximately Infinite Universe” album, 1973 (photo courtesy of Yoko Ono)

Sean Ono Lennon, Ono’s son with John Lennon, has served in recent years as the music director of the Plastic Ono Band. In a telephone interview, he observed, “Yoko can pack a lot into a lyric. The phrase ‘approximately infinite universe,’ for example. What does that mean? The universe is infinitely large, so how can it be ‘approximately’ infinite? Here it helps set up a contrast between the vastness of someone’s potential experience in life and the more limited, painful situation of the woman who’s the subject of the song.”

Ono continued her exploration of women’s experiences on Feeling the Space. Unabashedly feminist in outlook, it mixed humor, humanism, history and politics in another trove of stylistically varied songs.

On FTS, Ono examines a young woman contemplating her awareness of life and the flow of time in the wistful “Growing Pain.” “Run, Run, Run” offers a soulful recollection by a nerdy young woman who was so drowsily absorbed in “feeling the air” and “feeling the space” around her that she “tumbled on roots, stumbled on stones, lost my marbles,” and stepped on her glasses.

FTS also features “Woman Power,” Ono’s stirring feminist anthem, and “Men, Men, Men,” a jazzy-bluesy number that teases, “I want you clever but not too clever” and “I like you to shut up but know when to say yes.” One of the album’s most unusual numbers surely must be “Woman of Salem,” in which Ono recalls the fate of a woman sentenced to death in the colonial-Massachusetts witch trials of the late 1600s.

Billboard for the “Approximately Infinite Universe” album at the Whisky a Go Go night club, Los Angeles, 1973 (photo courtesy of Yoko Ono)

“These albums of the 1970s were very well recorded,” Sean Ono Lennon told me. He and several collaborators worked together to produce and engineer the re-releases. “In making new digital masters from the original analog tapes,” he explained, “we heard how good their sound quality was. Everybody was working at their peak in those days — my mom as she explored new song styles, the best session musicians of the time, and the engineers who were working with what was then pre-digital, state-of-the-art recording equipment.”

Today, reminders of the 1970s’ musical legacy abound. Carole King’s life story has become a hit Broadway musical. Singers keep revisiting the great singer-songwriters’ tunes, as the veteran Broadway performer Jessica Molaskey does in her soon-to-be-released album, Portraits of Joni (Ghostlight Records), which dives deeply into Joni Mitchell’s oeuvre.

Since the 1980s, various musicians have dipped into Ono’s big songbook, too. Among them: the B-52s, whose new wave sound owed a lot to the spirit of Ono’s 1970s avant-rock; Boy George, who covered “Death of Samantha” on his 2013 album, This Is What I Do; and numerous alternative-rock bands. Of special interest: Galaxie 500’s version of “Listen, the Snow Is Falling” (1990) and Of Montreal’s take on “I Felt Like Smashing My Face Through A Clear Glass Window” (1999).

Yoko Ono in a film still from “Imagine,” 1972 (photo by Peter Fordham, © Yoko Ono)

In a recent interview, Justin Vivian Bond, the gender-fluid singer known for one of the cabaret stage’s most unusual and compelling repertoires, recalled being introduced to Ono’s music through her 1981 album Season of Glass. Bond said, “As a student of performance, studying theater and voice, I was interested in discovering artists who combined raw emotion with their vocal technique and I have always felt that Yoko’s music offers a perfect combination of emotion, intellect, and artistry.”

Bond has performed such Ono songs as “What a Bastard the World Is,” “Walking on Thin Ice,” and “Every Man, Every Woman” (a reworking of “Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him,” from John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1980 Double Fantasy album). Of “What a Bastard…,” from Approximately Infinite Universe, with its conflicted emotions and sexual politics, Bond said, “As a transgender feminist, I have always felt that song to be tremendously compelling.”

I asked Bond what else might help explain the durability of Ono’s sound. The singer stated, “Of course, there is no one, in my opinion, whose music is better to dance to.”

Fly (1971), Approximately Infinite Universe (1973), and Feeling the Space (1973) are available from Amazon and other online retailers.

The post Yoko Ono’s Music of the ’70s is Back appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[twentysomethinginorlando]

Hoop-Dee-Hoop-Dee-HOOP-DEE-DOO!

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/hoop-dee-doo/

Hoop-Dee-Hoop-Dee-HOOP-DEE-DOO!

The longest running Revue show in the country happens to be at the Walt Disney World Resort, and takes place at Ft. Wilderness Campground and Resort. It is known as the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue and its three daily shows almost always sell out. Some friends of mine wanted to go, Jay had never been, and it had been almost two years since my last visit so that’s where we went a few Fridays ago.

Getting to Hoop is always a bit of a process. It’s located in the heart of Ft. Wilderness so you can park at the front of the campground and take the bus or you can take a boat over from the Magic Kingdom. The boat is a little more fun, but the bus is quicker. We, however, parked at the front and walked because we were Pokémon hunting and it took a good twenty-five minutes. We were still pretty early so we wandered over to the Draft Horse Barn.

Early in the morning, there are horse drawn carriages that take guests up and down Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom, and this is where those horses are housed. It’s massive! I had flash backs to the summers I spent at Kentucky Horse. There was a one year old Clydesdale colt named Rookie in one of the stalls, but I was disappointed you’re not allowed to pet any of the horses or ponies. On display at the very front of the barn is the Calliope that was used for the opening of both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, and when you push the button it lights up and plays some of the music from those parades. Across the hall is an exhibit dedicated to the history of horses in the Disney Parks with models of themost common breeds on display. I had a good laugh when I realized the models are actually Breyer Model horses, which I used to collect! We then wandered over to the porch of Crockett’s Tavern to sit in the rocking chairs until it was show time.

The draft horse barn.

Opening day calliope.

Draft horse models.

We were one of the first in line and we picked Category 1 seating since Jay had never been before. The hostess led us to the very front of the theater, our table was right behind the piano and banjo player! Our waitress was there right away to take our drink orders. Hoop-Dee-Doo is a three course meal, all-all-you-can-eat served family style with unlimited drinks. The best part: unlimited sangria! The first course of salad and cornbread is served as everyone is still being seated. Jay tried to read the menu but I would only let him look at the drinks because I wanted dessert to be a surprise. I literally found out a week earlier that strawberry shortcake is one of his favorite desserts. Everything is served in metal buckets in a variety of sizes. Robert dished out the salad as the cornbread was being fought over and the two musicians came in to start getting settled. The banjo player immediately started talking to us, and I made the joke that as long as he knew “Rocky Top” we’d get along just fine. (That’s the University of Tennessee fight song.) His response, “I do, but it sounds an awful lot like Happy Birthday.” He did play it for me later, but I’m not sure at which point in the show it happened.

Every time I go to Hoop-Dee-Doo, I always expect the animal heads on the wall to start talking like the Country Bear Jamboree.

Suddenly the sounds of wagons and horses filled the air, thundering hoofbeats as a stagecoach pulls in. The doors flew open and in ran the Pioneer Hall Players! They weaved their way around all the tables and made their way up the stage steps, carrying a variety of props and instruments. They gave a hurried explanation of their misadventures, something about a stage coach breaking down, as they toss their hats and jackets off. The Hoop-Dee-Doo leader is a red head named Dolly Drew, and she finds herself backed by singers Flora Long and Jim Handy, the dancing pair Claire de Lune and Johnny Ringo, and last but not least, funny man Six Bits Slocum. They sang an intro song about the Hoop-Dee-Doo itself while introducing each member of the troupe and their skill set. They sing a variety of classic American frontier songs over the course of the show. I don’t want to list them all because there’s no fun in spoiling the whole thing.

Six Bits asked the audience, “Are ya hungry?” “Yeah!” “Oh you can do better than that, I said ‘ARE YA HUNGRY?'” “YEAH!” He jumped in the air, “Let’s eat!” The performers stepped off stage and the servers descended onto the floor with full platters. Buckets of fried chicken and ribs with smaller pails of mashed potatoes, corn and baked beans. The potatoes were gone in minutes, but no one really touched the beans.

After our tummies were getting full, the Pioneer Hall Players were back. Six Bits wanted to help Johnny and Jim sing the new song they had been working on, “My Darling Clementine”, except he always sang the wrong word. Instead of Clementine he would say something that was close, but not quite right: Valentine! Frankenstein! I was extremely disappointed because this is usually where my favorite joke occurs and they didn’t tell it this time. (It involves the phrase, “Do you wanna build a snowman?”)

Dessert was served with its own musical number and our waitress was on stage with a huge platter of strawberry shortcakes. We were so close to the stage she got to us first, but by that time they were announcing the big Hoop-Dee-Doo spectacle, the Ballad of Davy Crockett. Dolly and Six Bits stayed on stage as Jim, Flora, Johnny and Claire headed into the audience to find “volunteers”. I pointed at Jay eagerly hoping he would be chosen… No such luck. Instead Johnny came to our table and held his hand out to me. They usually pick an older gentleman, a younger man, a younger woman and a ten year old boy. Literally the only female role in the whole thing and I get led up on stage. At this point, I was just really glad I had seen the show previously and knew what was coming.

They lined us all up across the stage and Dolly asked why each person was picked. The ten-year-old: “His bravery!” The younger man: “His strength!” Me: “Her beauty!” Cue me turning red in the face. The older gentleman: “His… intelligence!” We were all pulled backstage as the Ballad of Davy Crockett began, based on the lyrics of the old Disney song. Honestly, it doesn’t make complete sense but it is cute. (It is not cute if you are me and are standing nervously backstage.) A dress and a headband and POOF! I’m a can-can dancer! Of all the styles of dance I have done in my life, can-can is not one of them. They told me to hold my skirt up until they told me to drop it so my bare legs were showing and I regretted the decision to wear shorts. I could hear bits and pieces of the show going on, and every single one of Six Bits’ bear puns. He was dressed as the bear Davy killed when he was only three.

They did a really great job of making sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing and in the exact right spot for the show. I stood in my spot until they cued me, “This is supposed to be a can-can dance, not a can’t-can’t dance!”, and Johnny led me out onto the stage where I tried my best not to actually look at the audience and not be dazzled by the lights. It’s a trick I learned in my Jungle Cruise days, you look over people’s heads instead of directly at them. Dolly said, “She looks great, but can she dance?” The men in unison replied, “Who cares?” The music started and I did my best impression of the can-can: right, right, left, left as the audience chanted “Oooh la la!” The music finally stopped and I heaved a sigh of relief as they told me I could finally put my skirt down. I moved over to the side as Davy quite literally kicked the bucket, “T’weren’t nothing ma’ams, that’s what us legends do!”, and the older gentleman came out as “Davy’s Angel”. There was then an argument about who Miss Oakley AKA Dolly was supposed to kiss, Davy AKA Johnny or the Bear AKA Six Bits. Then Claire says, “No, that there can-can dancer is supposed to kiss that there bear!” Johnny leaned close to me so I could speak into his mic, “I can’t do that I’d be too em-bear-assed!” Then Johnny escorted me backstage to return the dress and headband, Jim called my name and I curtsied as he handed me my certificate. Then I raced off the stage as fast as I could.

I tore into the untouched strawberry shortcake. My friends had been too busy watching me to eat.

The actual finale to the show involves napkin twirling and washboards with spoons before a reprise of the original song from the beginning as they all headed out the same way they came in. They put their hats and coats back on, grabbed their props and ran back through the tables and chairs and out the front door. We gathered our stuff up, including one of the paper menus to go with my certificate. I watched a gentleman from one of the nearby tables try to tip the musicians and it broke my heart they had to turn it down. Then we headed back out into the sunshine to wait for the bus back because we were too full to make the trek back to the cars.

Hoop-Dee-Doo is an amazing dinner show experience, and I consider it a must-doo for all Disney fans. There’s no pixie dust or mouse, but there’s definitely magic happening at Pioneer Hall. It’s one of my favorite places to take family or friends who are visiting if we aren’t doing parks.

Cost: Hoop-Dee-Doo Category 1 is $72 per person, Category 2 is $67 per person and Category 3 is $64 per person. We sat in Category 1 this time, but I’ve done all three. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, but with Category 3 you have to turn away from your food to face the stage so it’s not great if you want to stuff your face. Prices include tax and tip!

Duration: 2 hours.

Value: Hoop-Dee-Doo is wonderful and worth repeating every now and then.

Add Ons: None!