it's the Last Gasp of Chris Hillman Week!!!

From his incredibly terrific new Tom Petty-produced album...

...please enjoy founding member of The Byrds (and the biggest influence on my own, inadequate by comparison, bass playing) Chris Hillman and "Here She Comes Again."



This was apparently originally written back in the late 70s for a McGuinn, Clark and Hillman studio LP (although I'm told it only ever appeared on an Australian live album) but it's obviously a pretty cool song despite its previous obscurity. And yes, Roger McGuinn himself is doing the great Rickenbacker 12-string stuff; Hillman plays bass on the record (his first appearance on the instrument he essayed in the Byrds in 30 years).

Bottom line: The performance is gorgeous, and for the two minutes and thirty-two seconds it's blasting from my stereo, I can't help but feel that God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.

Oh, Screw Chris Hillman Week -- Here's the Greatest Song of All Time!

From 1950, please enjoy the great Phil Harris and his incomparable hit version of "The Thing."



This was actually my favorite record as a kid. I mean, the hell with that rock 'n' roll crap -- this was the real deal.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

It's Chris Hillman Week: Part III -- Special J.S. Bach Edition

From the incredibly great Chris Hillman's swell new album...

...please enjoy his terrific remake of Gene Clark's magnificent "She Don't Care About Time."



That was originally the b-side of "Turn Turn Turn" back in October of 1965. Here's what it sounded like then, in case you've forgotten.



Je repete -- a b-side. I don't want to say "those were the days," but by golly they were.

Closed for Monkey Business

Real life distractions, alas.

Chris Hillman week resumes on the morrow.

It's Chris Hillman Week: Part II -- Special Senior Citizens Edition

From the incredibly great Chris Hillman's new album Bidin' My Time...

...please enjoy a remarkable bluegrass remake of The Byrds 1967 classic "Old John Robertson."

Now called "New Old John Robertson."



That was written by Hillman and one of my other Byrds heroes Roger McGuinn and as you will hear, the original version is beyond belief great.



And as I sort of suggested yesterday, although I'm really a purist about this kinda stuff, I really like both of these versions more or less equally.

More on this subject tomorrow.

It's Chris Hillman Week: Part I -- Doing the Ttwistfrugwatusijerk to a Song About a Welsh Mine Disaster

From his just released new album (his first in a decade) Bidin' My Time, please enjoy the incredibly great Chris Hillman and his remake of The Byrds' "Bells of Rhymney."

Hillman is one of my genuine all-time musical heroes, but I'll have more to say about that later on in the week.

In the meantime, this is just fricking gorgeous.

In case you've forgotten, here's what it sounded like on The Byrds' debut album from 1965, back when the world and I were young.



I'm kind of a purist on this sort of thing, so I never thought I'd say this, but I like both of these versions pretty much equally.

And a special coveted PowerPop No-Prize© to the first reader who identifies the literary reference in the title of today's post.

Hey -- It Was No Bigger Fraud Than the Trump Administration

I actually owned that album on vinyl LP back in the day, although I didn't pay for it due to being on the Warner Bros. mailing list as a baby rock critic.



It was really lousy, actually. Although "Can't Get No Nookie" was good for a couple of laughs.

And, of course, anything that pisses off Brian Williams obviously has some socially redeeming value.

Yeah, It's the Jewish New Year, But I'm Posting This Because I Love That Woman!!!

Happy Rosh Hashanah, all!!



Have I mentioned I love that woman?

We're Back! And To Prove It We're Here!

I was in Google hell for the last couple of days -- don't ask -- and consequently unable to post.

Our long national nightmare is over, however, and regular postings will resume on the morrow.

I thank you all for your patience, and also -- fuck you, Google.

Seriously, why am I not surprised that somebody had already done the appropriate graphic to express that sentiment?

Grant Hart 1961-2017

Goddamn, this pisses me off. That's much too young.

And yeah, I know Hart didn't write this one, but it's my favorite Hüsker Dü song. So sue me.