Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (9/22/13)

Relatively uneventful week.  The last one for a couple months.  Christian had a bye week in football.  Caleb had two baseball games - but had one rained out.  His other game was a loss with a couple walks only.  The weeks ahead bring lots of football, more baseball, more dance, longer weekends of work for me.  We will go get some burgers later after I get in a workout.  Just trying to decide where we haven't been this year and listening to some tuneage . . . 


SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

KOOL & THE GANG - WHITING H & G.  This 1974 era of Kool & the Gang is one of the funkiest.  And I can't get enough of the "Light of Worlds" album.  This is the first track on the second side.The mixture of the funky synthesizer with a jazz sound makes this so interesting.  This same side of the album contains "Higher Plane" and "Summer Madness" - one of their strongest album sides.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . I don't usually fall for trailers for these lower budget horror films because they don't "get it".  But this one for Murder University looks like some of the fun 80s direct to video films I loved . . .

This take on DIAL M FOR MURDER by Martin Scorsese expresses what's always made me defend the film. . . 

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .   Forrest was born in Galveston, TX but went to Europe to become a big artist - "Feel The Need In Me" and a cover of "Rock The Boat" and they became early 80s classic in dance clubs . . . I had never heard of Cal Worthington until I moved to California - his ads seemed made up but he was the innovator of the crazy car commercials with animals . . . Ray Dolby invented that switch that I always turned on in my tape player and never really noticed that it made the music better . . . Ken Norton was a heavyweight boxer I feared as a kid.  His fights with Ali were legendary.  The man was brutal. . . Jerry G. Bishop was better known as Svengoolie for anyone with spent time with Chicago television.  Living in California - I knew him as the quirky owner of the two Chicago themed restaurants in Seaport Village in San Diego. . . 

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST TALKING HEADS SONGS OF ALL-TIME

10. AND SHE WAS (1985)  I was starting to lose touch with the band by the time I reached college but this song is still one that I will crank when it comes on the radio.  Good memories of Ann Arbor parties with this tune.

9.  FOUND A JOB (1978)  One of the earliest Talking Head songs that I remember hearing.  It was probably about 1981 when I finally caught up with their early albums.  It was the perfect time for me to learn how great they were.  This is the stand out tune from those first couple albums.

8.  BORN UNDER PUNCHES (1980)  The first song on the "Remain In The Light" album is the very moment I know that I would love that album.  Great guitar work.

7.  BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE (1983)  Perfect illustration of what makes a great Talking Heads song - great music with lyrics that you think you can decipher but not really explain.  And yet you can't stop listening.

6.  THE GREAT CURVE (1980)  And then Talking Heads show you how to combine funk and disco and add some creative lyrics to provide you with something you've never heard before.  And at its heart - I feel like it's one of their best Punk songs.  "Sometimes the world has a load of questions / Seems like the world knows nothing at all."

5.  TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (1978)  I'm partial to the Al Green version but then you hear this and you realize how close it is - just with David Byrne's unique voice.  It's about as catchy a tune as Talking Heads have done.

4.  GIRLFRIEND IS BETTER (1983)  I love the live version from "Stop Making Sense" but I've been revisiting the original album version.  It's got a more developed sound than the early basic Punk tunes.  It's a fun tune with a bevy of horns and awesome percussion.

3.  PSYCHO KILLER (1977) This is such a great song - so good that I enjoy every version I've heard of it by the band.  It translates to many great interpretations.  The live version from "Stop Making Sense" is slightly better than the album version.  Lyrically it's one that has always captured my imagination.

2.  THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (NAIVE MELODY) (1983)  Who knew that one of my favorite TH tunes would be a "love" song.  But for me, it's more about the comfort of finding someone that feels like "home".  It's about that moment when you realize how comfortable you are around someone.

1.  LIFE DURING WARTIME (1979)  This illustrates all that I love about the band - you've got a punk sound mixed with New Wave and lyrics that are catchy and yet thoughtful - "this ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around."

The Talking Heads are right in the middle of my music adolescence.  The band appealed to me because of their variety and unique sound.  They have such a great catalog.  I had to leave off some great songs like "Love / Building On Fire", "Road To Nowhere" and even "(Nothing But) Flowers".  The worst songs?  Easily most of the rest of the "Naked" album like "Blind" and "Mrs Jones".  I'm finding myself on quite the Talking Heads kick lately and it's making me very happy.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . for background noise, there are new episodes of UNDERCOVER BOSS . . . and if there's the need for some movies - THERE WILL BE BLOOD is an intense fun film and MISS REPRESENTATION is a doc about some strong women (my favorites). . . 

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#1020 - Superman (1948)
#1108 - Blue Streak

#1273 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   The HARRY POTTER project.  Just a simple, easy update.  I'm still dragging out finishing the last book.  Meaning that it sits on my night table and I read a chapter every month or so.  I'm done with the spot that the first film leaves off.  It still makes me wonder if they paced the two films correctly.  As part of the project I'm also going back and reviewing most of the extras in the Blu-ray.  On the 2nd film and that's going to take awhile.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#25 Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul (1968)

I knew that I needed an Aretha Franklin album in this spot.  With all the collections, it was hard to find just the right album.  I was going to go for either album before or after this - "Aretha Arrives" or "Aretha Now".  But this one is the best from top to bottom.  There are only 10 songs and it clocks in at barely 30 minutes.  It has her best songs - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools" and her cover of the Curtis Mayfield great "People Get Ready".  Aretha is at her best here when she's mixing Jazz and Pop and Gospel.  Listen to her take on the James Brown tune - "Money Won't Change You" and you get the idea of how she's capturing all the music of the time.  I didn't get onboard with this album until the early 90s - I was stuck with just the Greatest Hits.  Since them I've taken great pleasure in discovering the tunes that don't make the radio play.  You can cover this in less than a half an hour - listen please.

Money Won't Change You

People Get Ready

Good To Me As I Am To You

Previous Rankings

#26 - Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)

#27 - Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)

#28 - The Clash - London Calling (1979)

#29 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988)

#30 - New Order - Power, Corruption, Lies (1983)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED (HBO)  One of a couple awesome docs on tonight.  Forget the new shows - this doc is about a filmmaker sitting in interviews with his cousin, poet who suffers from Alzheimer's.

POV: BEST KEPT SECRET (PBS)  A study of the autistic students of a special school in New Jersey after they leave the school.

TUESDAY

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)  Durr.  Of course I'm watching this and you can pretty much guarantee a three season run at least.  About time they brought these characters to Primetime and Tuesday is a good night for the show.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (CW)Ryan Stiles, Colin and Wayne Brady are joined by Shawn Johnson - cute Olympic gymnast.  It's the end of the season just as the other CW shows are starting up.

WEDNESDAY

SURVIVOR: BLOOD VS WATER (CBS)  It's of to an interesting start.  Instead of repeating previous formulas - they aren't afraid to try something new.  This family business thing is working for me initially.  Not willing to pick a winner yet - don't underestimate Hayden from Big Brother - he can compete.  Colton definitely has to go.

THE UNEXPLAINED FILES (SCI)  Red rain falling down.  This episode explains the phenomenon of red colored rain that falls all over the world.  Algae?  Chemicals?  Interesting.

THURSDAY
PARENTHOOD (NBC)  So glad they brought this show back.  But I'm not so happy about the Thursday time slot for continued success.  It's a Wednesday night show feel.  Also, Jasmine and Crosby have a baby - that's always a good thing for a show in the 5th season, right???

THE CRAZY ONES (CBS)  It's on CBS -so it'll have great ratings.  Normally I'd look and see Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar and I'd add it to my Tivo list right away.  I'm older and more mature and now I just don't see a season's worth  of entertainment in this show.

FRIDAY
MASTER CHEF JUNIOR (FOX)  Leaving Gordon Ramsay with kids from 8 to 13 is going to go really well.  No problems.

ROMAN POLANSKI: ODD MAN OUT (SHOW)  The director of the 2008 Polanski doc revisits the topic - updating the 2009 arrest and time since.

SATURDAY
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC)  Tina Fey is back!!!  With Arcade Fire.

THE CHEATING PACT (LIFE)  Smart girl agrees to take college entrance exams for three classmates who end up killing her.  This is what you get on Saturdays if you don't watch college football.  Change your mind yet?

SUNDAY
BREAKING BAD (AMC)  It's over.  Complete.  And while I'm just starting Season Three - I've avoided spoilers from this season and after Monday or Tuesday I'll be able to settle in and watch it at my own pace because no one with care when I finish.

EASTBOUND & DOWN (HBO)  Kenny Powers is back!!!  New season after the season that was supposed to be the last season.  What else is there left to cover?  I'm watching.

MASTERS OF SEX (SHOW)  If the reviews are even half correct - this might be the best new show of the Fall.  Seems like the type of show that I'll watch in batches of 2-3 episodes at a time.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  kitty cat djs!!!

This Barclay's  Bank ad is more like a mini-movie.  And a great soundtrack cover of the Leo Sayer song that Phil Collins covered brilliantly.  It's about a love for your team no matter what.

This booking.com ad may have the funniest looking kids since THE GOONIES . . . 

"Now one of these days, baby
And it won't be long, yeah
You gonna look for me child you know
And I'll be gone."  - Aretha Franklin

Let's talk it over one more time.  Stay hard.

sb