Pay To Play-Mustang with a broken neck

A few months back I posted about the continued earning potential of Kurt Cobain. I came across this related story the other day (from the AP):

"A guitar late rocker Kurt Cobain smashed on his first tour of the U.S. has sold for $100,000 US.

An unidentified private collector bought the guitar, according to Jacob McMurray, senior curator at the Experience Music Project in Seattle.

"It's a really cool-looking guitar because it's smashed and held together with duct tape and Kurt Cobain wrote on it," McMurray said on Tuesday.

"There's not a huge amount of broken Nirvana guitars out there," he added.

After breaking the Fender Mustang guitar on stage while on tour in New Jersey in the late 1980s, Cobain needed another one and made a trade with Sluggo, the punk rocker who recently sold the damaged instrument.

At that point, grunge band Nirvana was living hand-to-mouth. Cobain was staying with Sluggo, who goes by a single name and played with The Grannies and Hullabaloo, and his girlfriend.

Nirvana had its big breakthrough with Smells Like Teen Spirit in 1991. Cobain died in 1994.

Helen Hall, a broker in England, says a Cobain guitar sold for a higher price in 2006, when his Mosrite Gospel Mark IV guitar went for $131,000 US at auction.

I wonder if it was a lefty or rightie?

I'm just sayin'.

Pay To Play (Demo, 1990).mp3

Cohen for Christmas-Hallelujah!

Just saw this story come over the wire. (Like there's still some kind of actual telegraph.)

"Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah" made British chart history Sunday when it became both number one and number two in the Christmas singles charts -- although both versions were covers.

Alexandra Burke was almost guaranteed to take the top slot with her version after winning television talent show X Factor this month, and the song became the fastest-selling single by a female solo artist, figures show.

But in what appeared to be a protest at the manufactured music industry, fans of US musician Jeff Buckley kicked off an Internet campaign to get his classic version to number one instead, through downloads.

It reached number two, making it the first time in 51 years -- and the first time ever at Christmas -- that the same song has held the two top spots in the singles charts, the Official Charts Company said.

The last time was in January 1957, when Tommy Steele and Guy Mitchell held the top two places with Singin' The Blues.

In another twist, Cohen's own version of the song -- which he first released on his 'Various Positions' album in 1984 entered the charts as a new entry at number 36.

The tune has been covered numerous times, but Buckley's haunting version is widely considered the best. It remains strongly associated with the singer-songwriter, who drowned in Memphis in May 1997 aged 30."

An amazing song, no matter who's performing it. I, myself have a hard time deciding whose version is best. Cohen wrote it, but Buckley's version is so personal and intimate, he kinda took it over. Tough call. That said, I could live without the Alexandra Burke rendition.

I'm just sayin'.

Hallelujah-Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah-Jeff Buckley

Bonus shout out to the Lord!
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performing their own original, and equally haunting 'Hallelujah' from 2001's 'No More Shall We Part'.

Hallelujah-Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Leonard Cohen-Hallelujah (1984)


Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah (1994)

Alexandra Burke-Hallelujah (2008)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Hallelujah (2001)

Mirth! Merriment! MonkeyMix!

Christmas is to Rock as Egg is to Nog.

MonkeyMix Vol. 1 No.5: MonkeyXMix:

Jingle Bell Rock- Bobby Helms
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree- Brenda Lee
Run Rudolph Run- Dave Edmunds
Little Saint Nick- Beach Boys
Father Christmas- The Kinks
Little Drummer Boy/ Peace On Earth- David Bowie/Bing Crosby
Happy X-Mas- John Lennon/Yoko Ono
Thank God It's Christmas- Queen
Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You- Billy Squire
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
2000 Miles- The Pretenders
Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)- U2
Please Come Home For Christmas- The Eagles
Do They Know Its Christmas? - Band Aid
Step Into Christmas- Elton John
Christmas Wrapping- The Waitresses

link


Hall & Oates (w.GE Smith on Guitar) - Jingle Bell Rock (1983)


The Kinks- Father Christmas (1977)


Billy Squire- Christmas is the Time to say I Love You (1983)


Pretenders- 2000 Miles (1984)


David Bowie/Bing Crosby- Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth (1977)


U2- Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) (1987)


Band Aid- Do They Know Its Christmas? (1984)


Elton John- Step Into Christmas (1974)


Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band- Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (1978)


Santa Claus Vs. The Martians (1964)

Merry Christmas from me and Wilco. But mostly Wilco.

To celebrate the holiday season as well as Actual Monkey's first anniversary, I come bearing gifts. Don't say I never gave you anything.

Wilco @ Edgefield - Troutdale, OR August 22, 2007

1. Either Way 2. You Are My Face 3. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 4. Remember The Mountain Bed 5. Handshake Drugs 6. Pot Kettle Black 7. A Shot In The Arm 8. Side With The Seeds 9. Shake It Off 10. War On War 11. Impossible Germany 12. Too Far Apart 13. Jesus, Etc. 14. Walken 15. I'm The Man Who Loves You 16. Hummingbird 17. On And On And On

Encore 1: 18. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard 19. The Late Greats 20. Hate It Here 21. I'm Always In Love 22. Outta Mind (Outta Sight)

Encore 2: 23. California Stars 24. Heavy Metal Drummer 25. Via Chicago 26. Spiders (Kidsmoke)

If you like this, I insist you go out and but Kicking Television. Now. Right now. Get up and go buy it. Now.

link

Christmas x 2

Another of my favorite Christmas LPs, Noel! Noel! is little more than a hodge podge of different artists from a bygone era. What makes this such an incredible collection, is the range of artists represented. What seems as a throwaway from the catacombs of Sony Records, is in reality, a brilliantly calculated tome for the season.

Lets start with the cover. As if the advent of the birth of the Savior isn't reason enough to celebrate, the repetitive Noel! Noel! (with exclamations) surely drives the point home. And the generic front door visual doesn't begin to give this amazing record its due.

That said, let's review, shall we?

Nothing says Christmas more than a stiff egg nog and Steve and Edie belting out 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. This Borscht Belt duo has me craving Christmas ham and a suite at the Nevele.

I am especially fond of Ande Kostelanetz's spirited orchestral rendition of 'Sleigh Ride'. I can just feel the leather of the cracking whip. Ouch! Hurts so good!

We follow that with The New York Philharmonic, under direction of the legendary Leonard Bernstein delivering a triumphant and angelic version of the holiday opus, 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. A nice job for a song that is approximately 11 stanzas too long.

Not to be outdone, my favorite track on the album is the sappy yet haunting 'Ring Christmas Bells', performed by the Ray Coniff Singers. The Major/Minor 7th chords supply just the right creepiness that enables this to sound like it ought to be on the soundtrack for the Exorcist. Move over Mike Oldfield.

If that wasn't a perfect way to close this magnificent album, then Carol Burnett's (yes, Carol Burnett) performance of 'The Christmas Song' surely is.

I'm so glad we had this time together.

I'm just sayin'.

link

Ray Coniff Singers- Christmas Medley (Mid 60's?)


Steve & Edie Sock Pupets- Sleigh Ride (2007)


Johnny Mathis- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (1993 TV Special)

Holiday Music X-travaganza: The Gang's all here

I am a sucker for Christmas music. Always have been, always will be. Not sure why. Most likely for sentimental reasons. A memory, a certain event or person attached to the season and the music. Nonetheless, whether I'm feeling the Christmas Spirit or not, I still indulge in the tunes.

In an effort to spread the good cheer, Actual Monkey has painstakingly compiled some favorite X-Mas music. So get ready to deck the halls!

We begin with a perennial favorite, albeit somewhat annoying, Mitch Miller and the Gang's 'Holiday Sing-A-Long'. Miller was a renaissance man of American popular music in the 50's and 60's. His resume includes stints as the top A&R man at both Mercury and Columbia Records. In addition, he was an innovative producer and accomplished performer. Not a big fan of Rock and Roll, Miller focused on traditional, wholesome American popular music as his sounding board. To this end, he utilized a chorale group, 'Mitch Miller's Gang' to do his bidding. So popular was this approach, that 'Sing Along With Mitch' was a staple of American television in the early 1960's.

By today's standards, the music seems cornball and out of touch. But it is awfully happy. So please join me as we follow the bouncing ball along to some of the season's finest songs. And remember, all smiles.

I'm just sayin'.

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Third time's a charm- Wilco/Neil Young MSG 12.16.08

To my great surprise, I write this after returning from the Everest/Wilco/Neil Young show at MSG tonight. Happenstance that I got a few freebies just yesterday. The show was amazing. Of course Wilco was the highlight, cranking out an abbreviated set of greatest hits, including Jeff Tweedy's son Spencer celebrating his 13th B-day right there at The Garden taking over the skins on a rousing rendition of 'Late Greats'.

This was the third time this year that I saw Wilco live. And although tonight's performance was stellar, my favorite performance was their August gig at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn. Mostly for the fact that we brought our 6yo twins. A proper initiation into the world of Rock and Roll. No?

As far as Neil, he was equally amazing. Opening with the feedback power ballad 'Love and Only Love', he too effortlessly breezed through his own portfolio of greatest hits including such faves as 'Powderfinger', 'Cinnamon Girl', 'Cortez the Killer' and 'Heart of Gold'.

Not sure what will wind up under the tree for me this year, but tonight was probably the best gift I could have received.

I'm just sayin'.

Wilco- Impossible Germany (2007)


Neil Young- Heart of Gold (1971)

But he could play a guitar just like a ringin' a bell

Just in St. Louis for an overnighter so what better way to celebrate than with the music of one of the Gateway City's prodigal sons.

Although steeped in the history of Jazz (Scott Joplin, Miles Davis, etc.), St. Louis has had it's fair share of legendary rockers. Among then, the absolute standout is Chuck Berry. Rock's first badass (and badboy) lead guitarist, Berry's music was so damn good, his message so universal and appealing that it's just as relevant and kickass today as it was over 50 years ago. To say he was a/the seminal, influential rocker doesn't even begin to do him justice.

I'm just sayin'.

Chuck Berry Collection

Chuck Berry- Johnny B. Goode (live in Paris 1958)


Chuck Berry- Roll Over Beethoven (195?)


Chuck Berry and John Lennon -Johnny B Goode (Mike Douglas Show, 1972)



Chuck Berry- Reelin' And Rockin' (Midnight Special, 1973)


Chuck Berry- You Never Can Tell (Pulp Fiction, 1994)

We are all of us in the gutter, some of us are looking at the stars

The other Ringo

At the onset of the British Invasion, and the zenith of Beatlemania, a different Ringo ruled the airwaves. On this day in 1964, actor Lorne Greene wrangled himself a No. 1 hit with 'Ringo'. This spoken cowboy ballad also lassoed the top position for six straight weeks on the 'Easy Listening' charts. Giddyup!

Based loosely on the famous gunslinger, Johnny Ringo, Greene tells the tale of how he nursed the wounded outlaw only to later face him in a showdown. After our narrator accepts his fate, staring down the barrel of Ringo's six-shooter, cooler heads prevail and a happy ending ensues.

No drummers were harmed in the recording of this song.

I'm just sayin'.

Lorne Greene- Ringo

Bonanza Opening Credits


I just had to include this:
Daniel Boone Opening Credits (Spanish translation)

all things must pass

In observance of the seventh anniversary of the passing of my favorite Beatle, a short musing of my earliest musical memory.

'All Things Must Pass', was and is one of my all-time favorite albums. Probably top five, definintely top ten. The biggest reason is that it was on heavy rotation in our house when I was a kid. My mother was a big GH fan and I can remember spending time listening along with her, on our huge console stereo, I remember the spinning apple with the hole in the middle and the two vinyl disks, suspended in air, patiently waiting their turn for a spin. I was fascinated and somewhat frightened by the album cover. At three years old, I had no idea what a lawn gnome was but I swear I thought those freaky little creatures were real. That cover is still kinda creepy even today. I wonder if, being his first solo album post-fab four if was comfortable having other bodies around him. I still find it amazing that by the time the Beatles were finished, kaput, over, George Harrison was a mere 26 years old. What's more, he had stockpiled a collection of brilliant songs that would comprise the core (no pun intended) of this three-disc masterpiece.

As I grew up, my mother (and I) continued to enjoy his subsequent releases, 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) being our fave, but nothing quite compares to that time in my life, pre-school days spent listening to that LP with my mother.

I miss those days. I miss George Harrison. And I really, really miss my mom.

George Harrison- Wah Wah
George Harrison- Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
George Harrison- All Things Must Pass

A few amazing performances by GH, notably the Concert for Bangladesh from August 1971, featuring Bob Dylan's first live performance since the Isle of Wight in 1969.

George Harrison/Bob Dylan- 'If Not For You' (Outtake Concert for Bangladesh, 1971)


George Harrison-Bangladesh (Concert for Bangladesh, MSG, August 1, 1971)


George Harrison- Wah Wah (Concert for Bangladesh, MSG, August 1, 1971)


George Harrison- Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (Japan 1992)


Note: Something was George's first A-side Beatles single. Frank Sinatra later called it the greatest love song ever written.

The Beatles- Something (1969)


George Harrison- All things Must Pass (VH1, 1997)

Eat to the Beat: full course with a side

Just in time for turkey day, Actual Monkey is proud to serve up a heapin' helping of Blondie. So pull up a chair, grab a plate and feast your eyes on this:

Blondie's fourth studio record, 'Eat to the Beat' from September 1979 was the first to be released simultaneously with a corresponding video album. Still almost two years out from the launch of MTV, Ms. Harry & Co. had the foresight to see exactly where music was going, literally. The emergence of music videos paired with a commercially successful rock band, fronted by a sexy blond lead singer was pure kismet. Debbie and the camera had a symbiotic relationship. She looked good on camera and the camera returned the favor, exposing Blondie to a wider audience through a medium that had yet to be fully exploited. This band wasn't just ready for this next chapter in pop music, they helped write it. It's worth noting that Madonna wasn't even a blip on the screen yet. Debbie was the first to the party.

Following the double platinum 'Parallel Lines', Blondie continued their new-found direction of commercial success with this power-pop laden gem. That's not to say they took a powder. In fact, I think it is one of their best. Not as immediate or acerbic as Plastic Letters, Eat To The Beat kept it's edge but added a quantifiable maturity to the mix. By this point in their career, the band, behind uber-producer Mike Chapman, was playing with house money, defining what rock was to become in sound and vision, with Debbie always ready for her closeup. That said, the music was strong enough NOT to need videos on which to prop itself up with. Unfortunately, for many others, following the premier of MTV and subsequent onslaught of music video, that would no longer be the case. Bands became defined by their image, not their sound. MTV flourished, music did not.

Funny thing is nowadays, the last place you'll see a music video is MTV. Guess they had their fill.

I'm just sayin'.

P.S. No Blondie post would be complete without acknowledging the stratospheric talents of Clem Burke, one of rock's greatest drummers.

Thanks to the magic of the Blogosphere, and a little help from Youtube, Actual Monkey presents the visual smorgasbord that is Blondie's 'Eat To The Beat'.

Side 1

Blondie- Dreaming (1979)


The Hardest Part (1979)


Blondie- Union City Blue (1979)


Blondie- Shayla (1979)


Blondie- Eat To The Beat (1979)


Blondie- Accidents Never Happen (1979)


Side 2

Blondie- Die Young, Stay Pretty (1979)


Blondie- Slow Motion (1979)


Blondie- Atomic (1979)


Blondie- Sound-A-Sleep (1979)


Blondie- Victor (1979)


Blondie- Living In The Real World (1979)