Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (8/11/13)

It's that time, folks.  Graduation nights on Friday and Saturday meant a few extra long days - 13 hours yesterday.  And now the store is moving locations - so it's a 12 hour day of work today and the same for the beginning of next week.  No time to do much else this morning but eat last night's leftovers and get back on the road.  Baseball practice for Caleb all week - Christian starts his last year of football - and Dee gets ready to start school next Monday.  Sorting through my change for quarters to wash the car and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

CHAKA KAHN - THS IS MY NIGHT.   This is from the 1984 "I Feel For You" album.  It's the lead track and a great dance song.  I may have heard the single "I Feel For You" first but this was one that I played over and over on my cassette of the album.  It later had an awesome dance mix.  But just listen to the strength of Chaka's voice - perfect start to the day.

MOODY BLUES - BLUE WORLD.  This was the end of 1983 or maybe early 1984.  It was from the first album after the great "Long Distance Voyager".  I didn't like too many songs on the album except for this single.  It was the only song that recalled some of their earlier sounds.  From this point forward, their sound became too canned for me.  But it's nice to hear this again today.

PHIL COLLINS - ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE.  This 1989 song reminds me of my days working at the UCI Bookstore in Irvine, CA.  It seemed to play on the radio stations we listened to at work all the time in those early years.  It was a huge hit in the day and Phil hasn't had another #1 hit since this one.  Trivia from the day - that's David Crosby on backing vocals.  To me it sounds more Genesis-like - and oft confused with "Man On the Corner".

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . next time.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . Shawn Burr came up with the Detroit Red Wings and was practically my age. Scary to think he passed away from a fall in his home last week . . . George Duke was one of the first Jazz keyboard players I was aware of.   "Dukey Stick" is a funk track worth researching . . . I didn't know Art Donovan as a player for the Colts - I knew him as the teller of great stories on NFL Films presentations . . . 

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

BEST BRIT COMEDY SHOWS SINCE 2000

10.  THE MIGHTY BOOSH.  It's not for everyone.  I find that some people are just annoyed with the craziness of the show.  Other people think it's one of the most brilliant shows ever to come out of Britain.

9.  BLACK BOOKS.  I feel like I should be way more into this show but I guess because it took me a long time to discover it and then still haven't finished it.  Some great one-line humor.

8.  AN IDIOT ABROAD.  This could just be a Gervais-verse greatest hits list.  But this show, disguised as a travelogue with Karl is the best of the non-Ricky shows.

7.  THAT MITCHELL AND WEBB LOOK.  Guaranteed laughs.  It's a bit crazy to sustain over marathon viewings but it's extremely funny.

6.  THE INBETWEENERS.  These four lads have a chemistry that is instantly likable.  Their experiences are crazy and laugh out loud funny but the cast is what keeps this from just being annoying.

5.  LITTLE BRITAIN.  I discovered this sketch comedy by accident.  Some of the best characters of the past 13 years have come out of this show.  I don't even know where to start.  The Only Gay In The Village is a great place to start the list.  Or Vicky Pollard.  

4.  EXTRAS.  Ricky Gervais has a magic touch.  He didn't invent the "uncomfortable humor" sitcom but he helped perfect it.  This show deserves another run through, I think.  "What's ET short for?" / "Because he's only got little legs."

3.  THE OFFICE.  It would be #1 if it had lasted just a little bit longer.  This was a game changer for me and British comedies - it got me back into them for the first time since "The Young Ones".  And to think how this one show has influenced the current generation of American TV shows is amazing.

2.  THE IT CROWD.  It's a low brow type of comedy that does what the best comedies do - it doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer.  It forces you to pay attention to details, doesn't explain references and recalls details from previous episodes.  I only wish there had been more.  Brilliant cast.  And a little crush on Jen.

1.  PEEP SHOW.  The adventures of Mark and Jez came into my life through a good friend.  I feel like I need to pass it on to others and they should pass it on to their friends.  Maybe I identify with Mark way too much too.  It's a brilliantly written series that also pays off for viewers who watch it in order.  This seems like a show that should appeal to every college age student ever.

I'm a huge fan of British Comedies - going way back.  But there's been a huge gult of great shows coming out of England in the past 13 years.  It's hard to even keep on top of the great ones - thanks goes to HBO, Hulu, Netflix and Cartoon Network among others for exposing us to them.

There are some that fall just off the list because they just didn't make it - like "Coupling".  Some I've never seen - like "Ideal" or "Green Wing".  And some that don't make the list because of the post-2000 requirement - "Fawlty Towers", "Mr. Bean" and "The League of Gentlemen".  The worst?  More like ones I didn't get - that I started and stopped early on - "Nighty Night" and "Benidorm".  

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . I missed this Fincher flick - ZODIAC, but I hear it's pretty good -Jake Gyllenhaal too. . . ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO is one of those Kevin Smith movies that I've seen in parts here and there on cable but I should probably see it from top to bottom (so to speak) on Netflix. . . SADAKO seems to have some connection to the Ringu series - not sure but even the middling type of reviews don't "scare" me away from wanting to check it out.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#356 - LA Confidential

#484 - Intolerable Cruelty

#882 - Last American Virgin

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   The DOCTOR WHO project.  My chronological trip back through the Doctor Who adventures has been hit and miss.  I've started and stopped a number of times.  I get excited and find a few stories to watch at once.  And then go months without one.  I just finished the "Abominable Snowmen" story from 1967 - still on the 2nd Doctor - this is one of the better stories and I'd love to see this one get found.  Jamie and Victoria are such charming companions - I think they make the show more than any other duo to this point.  This is important to watch to know The Great Intelligence that reappears this past season.

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

#28  The Clash - London Calling (1979)

There's something about a third album.  And in 1979, The Clash figured it all out.  This took punk rock to another level - it's pure punk but it works also as one of the best rock albums of the year.  The 70s ended with a bang and this was a shot that told us that the 80s would be quite different.  I've loved this album from the beginning - it blends rock and punk and ska and funk and it draws plenty of influence from Elvis - including the iconic cover.  I first knew "Train in Vain" but not I fall back on classics that work with great lyrics and great music like "Guns Of Brixton" and "Lost in the Supermarket".  The title song still plays on radio daily.  It's hard to imagine people today understand the importance of the lyrics without knowing the horrors of 3 Mile Island back in those days.  It's not a celebration of London, it's an indictment.  This album just doesn't ever disappoint.

"Lost In The Supermarket"

"London Calling"

"Guns of Brixton"

Previous Rankings

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

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

#31 - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

#32 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY - no time for TV this week, so I'm not even looking.  Trust in your Tivo . . . 

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  the Twix civil wars started here a year ago . . .

And now a merger . . .

They used to have these clever "need a moment" ads . . 

"Oh anything I want he gives it to me
Anything I want he give it but not for free
It's hateful and it's paid for and I'm so grateful to be nowhere
I killed all my nerves."  - The Clash

 Don't be hateful.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (4/14/13)

The sports are piling up on us.  Christian had a couple games this week but he missed them both because of a lower back injury.  Best to not push it with Spring Football less than a month away.  Caleb had a couple games this week - both victories and he's been doing a great job at catcher this season.  It's a crazy week of games and activities and work next week.  So, today should be relaxing.  But it might not be - have to get in my workout, grab a lunch and take Dee to Dallas for a study group for her AP History.  Oh, Sundays.  See you next week if I'm able to make it.  Sitting here now, looking over some bills that aren't paying themselves and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

PUBLIC ENEMY - WAR AT 33 1/3.   I've come to realize this is one of the more intense PE raps.  The song flows at and incredible speed - even for PE - and the lyrics are very important.  Another song off "Fear Of A Black Planet" about Black Power and Pride.  I don't hear this song nearly enough - great to have it back on my radar again.

MOODY BLUES - SITTING AT THE WHEEL.  This was never a favorite Moody Blues song of mine.  It was actually in the time that I was listening to lots of Moody Blues tunes but when this was a hit at the end of 1983 - I just wasn't into it.  And today I'm reminded that it's a pretty middle of the road song - surprised it was even as big as it was.  A big Moody meh from me today.

BASEMENT JAXX - DO YOUR THING.  From the awesome 2001 "Rooty" album - this is currently my Basement Jaxx jam.  I've had many of their songs be my "jam" but this one seems to have come up on my playlists lots recently.  It's the song that's getting me fired up for my workout this morning.  Need to break this out more mornings and even more nights.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . .  I predicted these articles a few years ago - is Facebook destined to become the next MySpace?

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . the beautiful Annette Funicello was one of my first crushes on the reruns of "The Mickey Mouse Club".  And don't discount the entertainment value of the Beach Party films . . . I always respected Margaret Thatcher through the 80s.  I didn't know too much about her politics and I didn't really like them much in the late 80s when I knew more about them.  But I've become a huge supporter of her as a tough, strong willed woman.  The world needs more of them . . .few people do I describe as "comedic geniuses" - Jonathan Winters was definitely one.  I first knew of him through his Maude Frickert and then through his awesome role in IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD.  He was later in "Mork & Mindy" but he also had some great serious roles in shows like "The Twilight Zone".  His quick wit and characters will be missed. . .

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

TOP TEN BEST SONGS OF 1973

11.  THE STOOGES - DEATH TRIP.  There's no way I would have appreciated this album in 1973.  I didn't even appreciate it enough in 1990.  It's only been in the past decade or so that I've learned to respect what Iggy was doing here.  It's Punk Rock before we even had any idea what to call it.

10.  GEORGE HARRISON - GIVE ME LOVE.  I had to have something from "Living In The Material World" - also an album I've appreciated more in the past four years than any album I can recall.  A genius.  "Give me hope, help me cope with this heavy load."

9.  FRED WESLEY & THE J.B.'S - DOING IT TO DEATH.  What a great year for funky good times.  And this ten minute song is a party starter.  This song may have Fred's name and James Brown's name on it but it's the Maceo sax that makes it go.  Still one of the very best.

8.  WINGS - LIVE AND LET DIE.  This is one of the songs on this list that I would have loved even in 1973 - it was my first Bond film in the theaters.  And this song stuck in my memory as much as the tarot cards.

7.  STEVIE WONDER - LIVING FOR THE CITY.  A story song that has a real "story" - something important.  Still love that bass line.
6.  JOHN LENNON - MIND GAMES.  Fell in love with this song in the mid-80s.  Still one that I fall back on after Midnight.  "Love is the flower, you got to let it, you got to let it grow."

5.  DAVID ESSEX - ROCK ON.  Few songs make rock n roll seem so cool.  I still listen to this classic - at top volumes only.  Not a song to play in quite moments.
4. BOBBY WOMACK - ACROSS 100th STREET.  It was the year after the best Blaxploitation films debuted.  But in 1973, there were some awesome soundtracks to these films.  This is still one of the classic funk and soul pieces to come out of that era that isn't from Curtis Mayfield and James Brown.  
3.  MARVIN GAYE - LET'S GET IT ON.  Find me a better funk, sexy, romantic song.  No one comes close - even Prince comes in second.
2.  ELTON JOHN - DANIEL. "I can see Daniel waving goodbye"   On the Greatest Hits album - this was the one song I started with every single time.  And only a few years ago did I realize the Texas tie to the song.  This might still be in my favorite songs to sing in the car.

1.  PAUL SIMON - LOVES ME LIKE A ROCK.  It was this or "Kodachrome".  And I kinda link them together.  Paul was on a run, much like Elton during these years.  And it was this music that turned me on to more pop music than just the Beatles.  The songs are illustrative of the awesome singles that came down the pike in that key year.  And I love them all.

I've maintained that 1972 was the pinnacle year for albums and movies in the 1970s.  I've defended both of those categories before.  But I've noticed over the last decade or so that I've leaned heavily on songs - more than albums - from 1973 also.  I think I could put together a Top 50 easily. I've narrowed it down to 11 here.  That leaves off quite a few great songs.  Also, this list is made with my musical tastes of 2013 in mind.  I'd hate to see my list if I was doing my Best Of lists when I was six years old.  It all would have come from K-Tel albums and the Sesame Street soundtrack.  The worst?  Well, the worst of the songs that were popular starts with - Tony Orlando and Dawn - Tie A Yellow Ribbon (that has been so overused in the decades after that it's a joke song now).  And sadly, I've become very tired of Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".  Just off the list . . . Ohio Players "Funky Worm", Rolling Stones "Angie" and Roberta Flack "Killing Me Softly".

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .   a few movies for you to chew on this week . . . KING KONG (1976) was always a favorite of mine when it aired over two nights on TV - Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges . . .  and I still have more of those Cartoon Network shows to recommend - such a wealth of fun - ADVENTURE TIME and JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED are both great choices if you aren't already up on them.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#183 - Some Like It Hot
#196 - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
#827 - My Geisha

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -  The STAR TREK project.  In anticipation of the new movie - I've been slowly making my way through the Original Series (more so as I've had such little sleep these past few nights).  I've watched the series at least 3-4 times but I still get new items out of it.  I finished "The Menagerie Pt. 1 and 2" - a nice retelling of "The Cage" episode with Capt. Pike.  An interesting way to try to pull in continuity that many series wouldn't make the effort to do.  And then it's followed with the truly terrible "The Conscience of the King".  This is one of the random episodes that seem to drop in the Original Series and even the Next Generation that come out with an uninspired plot of Shakespearean actors (in this case) and terrible dialog.  This follows up with the equally highly amusing "Balance of Terror" and the White Rabbit.

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

#40  Peter Gabriel - So (1986)

In the middle of a run of very eclectic soundtracks to BRIDY and the songs of "Passion", Peter Gabriel released his breakthrough album.  After hearing his first few albums, Peter is the least likely person I would have picked in 1986 to become a pop star.    And the minute I heard "Sledgehammer" and saw the video - I knew this was a whole different thing.  The album played a huge part in my college years.  I would play this album for naps, studying and parties.  For years, this was an album that all the roommates could agree upon.  I still love all the songs - but the duets really stand out - "Don't Give Up" with Kate Bush and "This Is The Picture" with Laurie Anderson are still amazing pieces.  Nine tracks and they all are a great balance of Gabriel's weird artsy side mixed with easily accessible music that plays well on the radio.  Don't believe me - look beyond the catchy music to the interesting lyrics of "Red Rain".  Out of nowhere this album is easily a Top Forty album.

Previous Rankings

#41 - Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
#42 - Prince - 1999 (1982)
#43 - James Brown - The Payback (1973)

#44 - Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
#45 - The B-52's - The B-52's (1979)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

INDEPENDENT LENS (PBS)  Always a good show, but this week is the history of Wonder Woman.  Great documentary subject.

OH SIT! (THE CW)  Only on the CW does a musical chairs show get a second season.  But then again, only on the CW does Jamie Kennedy get work.

TUESDAY

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE (PBS)  A good week for documentaries!  Ken Burns made this doc on wrongly convicted teens in a 1989 New York City rape case.

STORAGE WARS (A&E)  Another show with a new season.  There are a few changes coming along - but why does the description include the name Jeff Dunham?  Is he bringing his dummies?

WEDNESDAY

LOCKED UP ABROAD (NAT GEO)  For some reason, Netflix is really fixated on me watching this show.  The new season premieres here with the Sen. John McCain story from Vietnam.  That might actually be interesting.

DUCK DYNASTY (A&E)  I can't stop watching but this show has really run off the rails - not that it was ever "reality" but it seems so scripted this season that it's become predictable.  At least make it well scripted.  There is a "handcuffed together" episode this week???

THURSDAY
PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)  What's better than another new episode of this great show?  Two new episodes!!!  Jerry's retirement is imminent.  I will miss him lots.

COMMUNITY (NBC)  We're up to the Christmas episodes.  More Malcolm McDowell and a party at Jeff's apartment.  I'm overcoming some of my fears about this season.  But it does feel like the end is near.

FRIDAY
HEMLOCK GROVE (NETFLIX)  The best show debuting this week is probably this cool looking werewolf show - all 13 episodes are on today.  I'm loving the creative shows debuting on this outlet lately.  And even if it's bad - it's got Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgard.

HIS GIRL FRIDAY (TCM)  This is by far one of the most underrated movies of all-time.  Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell have the type of chemistry that doesn't just come from acting.  It's wonderful

SATURDAY
DOCTOR WHO (BBC)  A haunted mansion, blah, blah, blah.  I  don't really care about the new plots - they seem relatively redundant but I'm enjoying the chemistry with the new companion.  She's becoming a favorite of mine quickly.  Much like I had with Rose.

FREAKS (TCM)  This 1932 classic by Tod Browning used to never ever show on TV.  It seems like I looked for it on VHS for a decade before finding it in the mid 1980s.  But it does air occasionally on TCM - enjoy this rare non-Halloween airing.  It's still shocking over 80 years later.

SUNDAY
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)  And it picked up and rocked my world just exactly how I hoped it would.  Most exciting hour of television on the television right now?  I feel like I barely know what is happening and I love every minute of it.

PLANET EARTH (BBC)  This is an awesome series.  If you have HD and haven't watched it yet - it might be the best demo show for how great your TV can be.  If you're tired of the usual Sunday fare - there's a long marathon of episodes tonight.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  a few classics this week.  Let's start with my favorite 7-Up ad that gave us the line - "crisp and clean with no caffeine" . . . 

Or the line that we used all the time as kids - "Don't take the car, you'll kill yourself" . . .  

Or the fun phrase of "Have it your way" at Burger King . . . 

"Rest your head
You worry too much
It's going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us."  - Peter Gabriel


 Don't give up. Stay hard.

sb