La Fin de La Semaine Essay Question: Special "Close-Captioned for the Morally Impaired" Edition

This came up tangentially in Tuesday's reader comments, and I figured let's go for it. So we'll abjure the traditional snarky intro referencing my Asian Manual Catharsis Technician Fah Lo Suee and move, directly and inexorably, to the subject of today's business. To wit:

...and your favorite misheard/deliberately mangled/re-written as a parody song title or lyric from a post-Elvis pop/rock/rolk/soul song is...???

Discuss.

In case you're wondering, my fave in the more traditional category is...

...which I have always heard, and cannot un-hear, as "She's a muscular boy."

But this one...

...which I will forever sing in this version (written in 1965 by my long-time friend and Weasels bandmate Allan Weissman) has irrevocably permeated my consciousness to the point I hear it in my head whenever the actual song or video pops up.

Planes crashing into mountainsides
With the loss of many lives
That's what I like
Soft areas of babies heads
Hit them there and they'll be dead
That's what I like

They say that all good things must end someday
Governments must fall
But don't you know that I like it more
When I read in the news
That someone got mugged last night
It serves them right

So when your aunt
Goes and takes her landlord's life
And does it with a butcher knife
That's what I like
That's what I like!!!

I should add that Allan was widely considered to be the Poet Laureate of Teaneck High School during his tenure there, knocking out parodies like the above at an alarming rate. Most of them have been lost to history, but I do recall at least one other (just the title, not the lyrics alas) which was a re-write of Petula Clark's "Downtown" in honor of our 9th grade science teacher Mr. Dubin.

Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be???

And have a great weekend, everybody!!!

Closed for Monkey Business

Sorry -- it's been a crazy week.

A particularly droll weekend essay question will be here on the morrow.

Kevin Ball -- Down the Road Apiece!!!

And speaking as we were the other week of acts that deserved to be stars on their name alone, please enjoy the kick-ass opening tracks from the new album by -- wait for it -- Kevin Ball & Busters.

Now I am well aware that Ball's brand of boogieing is not normally the purview of this blog. But as long time readers will recall, I am also not immune to the blandishments of this kind of roadhouse trad rock and jump blues, and frankly the songs above -- and all rest of the album, which is equally down and dirty -- had me movin' and groovin' in my seat more than anything comparable I've yet heard this year. Hey -- Ball's a wonderfully sly singer and a cool guitarist, and his band makes it all sound really easy. What more do you want?

In any case the whole album can be listened to over at YouTube. Or better still, you can stream and or purchase it (9$ -- cheap!) over at Bandcamp HERE,

You're welcome.

Tuesday's Music-Themed Cartoon Chuckles And Photo-Shop Funnies

The fire engine guy. Words fail me. 😎

Songs I'd Forgotten Existed, Let Alone Loved (An Occasional Series): Special "Like Long Hair!" Edition

From their 1967 masterpiece, please enjoy Paul Revere and the Raiders' "In My Community" and "Why? Why? Why? (Is It So Hard)". Both written and sung by everybody's second favorite Raider Phil "Fang" Volk.

Reaon I bring this up is because Volk's 80th birthday was yesterday; he's a Facebook friend and I am delighted to report that he is still alive and well and making music.

I should add that the above pictured The Spirit of '67 is one of the great American rock albums of the second half of the '60s, and if you don't know it your life is the poorer.

Weekend Listomania: Special "And the Angels Sing" Edition

Okay, no snarky intro involving my Asian Manual Catharsis Technician Fah Lo Suee blah blah blah, so let's get directly to the subject of the business at hand. To wit:

FAVORITE OR LEAST FAVORITE POST-ELVIS POP/ROCK/FOLK/SOUL/WHATEVER SONG/RECORD BY A BAND (OR DUO) WITH ONLY TWO SINGERS HARMONIZING UP FRONT!!!

No arbitrary rules whatsoever, but to my surprise I'm not mostly talking about sibling harmony acts. Also, if you attempt to nominate anything by the Byrds or Beach Boys, i.e. groups that normally feature three or four singers -- The Association, anyone? -- I will come to your house and pummel you severely. That said, however, I haven't decided if The Beatles are eligible or not, so at your discretion. 😎

And now, without further ado, my totally Top of My Head Top Seven is:

7. Chad and Jeremy -- A Summer Song

God, that's gorgeous. Seriously -- some days I think those guys were the most underrated of the British Invasion.

6. The Everly Brothers -- Don't Run and Hide

That was written by the Hollies Clarke-Hicks-Nash triumvirate, but I actually prefer the Everlys' cover.

5. Zager and Evans -- In the Year 2525

One of my traditional candidates for Worst Record Ever Made.

4. The Indigo Girls -- Closer to Fine

You know -- because (in the immortal words of Mick Jagger) you like to have a couple of chicks in there occasionally.

3. Stealer's Wheel -- Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine

Early Gerry Rafferty, obviously. I literally wore out the grooves on my copy of that 45 when it was new.

2. Tom and Jerry -- Hey Schoolgirl

This was one of the first records I bought with my own lunch money. It was a huge hit in NYC for obvious reasons; I'm not sure exactly how it fared in the rest of the country, although I seem to recall seeing them lip-synch it on Bandstand. Whatever happened to those kids?

And the number one Two People Singin' Like Boids act of all time simply has to be...

1. The Lemon Twigs -- Look Out For Your Mind

That video is brand new, i.e. it just dropped (as today's hepsters say) this morning at 10am EST. Absolutely fantastic, and man -- these guys have a work ethic like nobody's business.

Alrighty then -- what would YOUR choices be?

And have a great weekend, everybody!!!

Your Thursday Moment of Words Fail Me

The Mona Lisa Twins, ladies and germs -- let's really hear it for them.

Okay, my fondness for those kids is not exactly a state secret, but I'm absolutely over the moon about that one.

BTW, that's from their just released new album of 60s pop covers, which is otherwise pleasant enough but not life-changing. The above however...well, it's just freaking gorgeous, as you can plainly hear for yourselves. .

Why they aren't household words -- or at least been guests on Saturday Night Live -- is absolutely beyond me. 😎

Toppermost of the Poppermost!!!

In case you didn't know -- I didn't until last week -- but former SNL star Amy Poehler has an interview podcast, called Good Hang, where she does amusing one-on-ones with various pop culture celebs. And a recent episode had in-depth chats with both Paul McCartney and his (unexpectedly hilarious) fashion designer daughter Stella.

You can (and should) watch the whole thing over HERE, but in the meantime, this brief excerpt (in Tik Tok format, unlike the show itself) is Must-See TV. Paul discussing contemporary pop music and improvising a new smash hit on the spot. This has gone viral BTW, and I for one couldn't be happier.

Enjoy!!!

Tuesday's Music-Themed Cartoon Chuckles and Photo-Funny

Okay, I groaned at the McCartney one too. 😎😎😎

Encounters with Greatness (An Occasional Series): Special "Dueling Senior Citizens" Edition

So my BFF (and longtime bandmate) Allan Weissman is vacationing in Europe (along with his charming wife) and they were briefly (i.e. just to connect to a train to London) in Paris the other day. A town where they actually had been, longer, on a few previous occasions, one of which you will hear about in the absolutely charming and romantic song below (written and sung by Allan, of course).

That just slays me, and it is with some regret that I confess I didn't play on it. But as I said, we've been doing music together off and on since 1965, when we made our first foray into a professional recording studio with another of Al's songs and came out with this (I think pretty damn good for kids) Beau Brummels-influenced number.

That's me doing the Hammond organ and meant-to-be Vince Guaraldi-ish piano solo. BTW, have I mentioned that Al is an absolutely brilliant singer/songwriter and bassist?

In any case, I bring all this up because Al has a birthday coming up on Tuesday, which makes him one day older than me, a fact that he never fails to remind me of around this time. And I just wanted to give him a big long overdue shout-out here, which this now officially is.

Hey Al -- it's been a gas!!! Here's to many more years of it, my friend!!! 😎

PS: Here's the true story of a song we kinda co-wrote (i.e., I came up with the lame riff) and first recorded in 1967 in Allan's basement in Teaneck, NJ (aka the Paris of Tri-State Metro Area). No audio, alas, but it's pretty funny all the same so enjoy!!! 😎😎