Siriusly good

Satellite radio. Woof! Can we make it any more concise than that? I'm returning to a previous blog mention because this subject deserves a proper discussion.

You may have satellite at home. Great. You may have it in your touring vehicle. Awesome. But do you have it at your job? That's where it really needs to be. It'll keep you from going stir crazy. It'll keep you motivated and on track with your workflow and deadlines. It might even keep you awake. Clip this out and bring it to work. Tell your boss to give me a call. I'm Sirius.

If the music is in a communal setting, i.e. piped through speakers vs. earbuds, you need to make sure the dial is set to something you can deal with. Because unless you have the most eclectic set of ears in the universe, somebody will find Station NOBB (Nails On a Blackboard). And that's not good for the pack.

There will be compromises. Headbanger fans will at times need to pretend they're in a coffee shop. Folk fans might have to deal with some reverb. Alternative rockers may need to channel their angst in other ways. Everyone will have to contend with the possibility that when they're taking a lunch or coffee break someone will sneak over and switch to country. With such a wide spectrum and so many choices, it's easy to piss somebody off.

Black Sabbath might torching up the Boneyard while Crosby Stills & Nash are at the Loft and Jay-Z is bringing in the Heat. Where you gonna turn? It's all about compromises.

But it can be nirvana, with or without a capital N.

"All the albums you used to collect, we still play every day," is the way one deejay put it on Classic Vinyl, a popular compromise option on the Sirius dial. "Dancing around on the edge of the cosmos," said another.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

VERY wholesome

How wholesome was entertainment on the Ed Sullivan Show? I had forgotten, until I began reading recaps of the programs. On the night the Rolling Stones performed "Let's Spend SOME TIME Together" -- that's right, it had to be watered down for the TV censors -- also appearing were nuns who sang a medley that included "Kumbaya."

Here's a tv.com synopsis of that historic show, which aired on this day in 1967. Now we'll still take the Stones any place, any time, any lyrics. But this is not the sort of programing that would have saved Jay Leno's spot on prime time:

MUSIC
--The Rolling Stones: "Ruby Tuesday" & "Let's Spend Some Time Together" (censored version of "Let's Spend the Night Together").
--Petula Clark: "Elusive Butterfly" & "Color My World."
--Sisters of St. Benedict: Nuns from Erie, Pennsylvania; a.k.a. Sisters '67 - sing a show tune medley: "It's a Lovely Day," "Consider Yourself" & "Kumbaya."

COMEDY
--Allan Sherman: (stand-up comedian)
--Alan King: (stand-up comedian) - routine about family members
--The Muppets: Kermit plays the piano & sings.

"CIRQUE DU SULLIVAN"
--The Michael Bennett Dancers: Clog dancer routine
--The Monroes: balancing act from Madrid, Spain
--On film: Footage of a 14-year-old waterskiier, Ricky McCormick, doing stunts at Cypress Gardens, Fla.
--Audience bow (cameo): Miriam Colon, Puerto Rican star

Worth noting: The commercials that aired immediately after the Stones' appearance were Geritol Iron & Vitamin tablets and Sominex sleeping tablets.

I'm getting very sleepy...

Time to get the Led out

Another reason to get a turntable: I never replaced my Led Zeppelin albums with CDs. It was an era -- a fabulous era of early heavy rock/metal discovery during the Seventies -- that I pretty much boxed up and put away with the rest of my vinyl.

Some music passes you by. Other music you just get past, never really intending to, it just happens as you travel through life taking those many unforeseen twists and turns. Only after later reflection, usually triggered by some sonic sensory message, you are reminded: That was pretty good shit, wasn't it?

The trigger for me came when "Communication Breakdown" was piping through the office speakers the other day. (Satellite radio is a beautiful thing to have in the workplace. Somebody should commission a study!) I still have the Jimmy Page riffs in my head. I awakened to them this morning without needing an alarm clark to jolt me.

That's Zep. We were inseparable pals who eventually went our own ways. There was a period in my life during which I'm sure I argued that Led Zeppelin IV was one of the greatest albums ever made. Or was it II? What always makes the argument so difficult is that several Zep albums warrant consideration. Rank their first four any way you want, that body of work is amazing.

I don't know that I'll be blasting Zep from my second floor flat, but it's going to be there like ammo, ready to load and fire. Of course it's possible this is just some form of therapy. Don't they say the first step is recognizing you have a problem?

What was he thinking?

This comes from Psycho, our senior Twin Cities vibemeister and tune advocate. You need to prepare yourself for this video. It may not be suitable for some. I personally find it deeply troubling.

It has nothing to do with football, but I compare it to the Packers' stunning overtime playoff loss Sunday to Arizona. After that game I found myself dumbstruck and unable to move for several minutes. The aftershock continues to cause me problems. I'm stuttering and I can't seem to focus either visually or mentally. I'm drooling on my keyboard right now.

Friends have offered encouragement, assuring me I will recover in two to three months. But any chances I had of mending from the football ordeal have been thwarted by this shocking video. It will leave you speechless.



That's Johnny Horton, a tragic story in pop music lore with bizarre connections to Hank Williams. Horton was killed in a head-on car collision in November 1960, the year after "The Battle of New Orleans" spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. The last club Horton played was the Skyline in Austin, Texas -- the very same club Williams played before his death. And Horton's widow, Billie Jean, was the former Mrs. Williams.

But enough background. This creepy video threatens to spoil the legacy of Horton, by all accounts a good and honorable man, and a close friend of Johnny Cash. It must be destroyed.

Hullabaloo A-No-No

Here's an idea for NBC, which apparently could use some help in its programing department: Bring back Hullabaloo.

That's right. Return Jay to his late night spot, give Conan a nice farewell -- this mess wasn't his fault -- and bring back the prime time musical variety program you launched on this very day in 1965. You've done crazier things.

What happened to the programs that showcased the best musical groups of the day, shows like Hullabaloo, Action! and Shindig? Does anybody remember Lloyd Thaxton? Here was a chance to see the hottest bands performing onstage, even if the music was sometimes dubbed.

Hullabaloo was a pretty bold concept for NBC. It not only aired in prime time, its format differed from the competition by trotting out a wider variety of entertainment talent. It was sort of Ed Sullivanesque, without Ed -- or Topo Gigio for that matter (although Bill Dana did appear, as Jose Jiminez). Come to think it, that might have been the problem. While we were waiting for Joe Tex to come on, did we really need to sit through Francoise Hardy and Jackie and Gayle?

Here was the lineup for Season 1, Program 1:

Host: Jack Jones
Guests: Woody Allen, Joey Heatherton, New Christy Minstrels, Zombies, Gerry and the Pacemakers

Jack Jones? Joey Heatherton was always nice to look at, and so were the Hullabaloo Dancers. We certainly enjoyed Lada Edmund Jr. dancing in that cage in the Hullabaloo A-Go-Go segment. But we tuned in for the bands, not Joey, Shani Wallis or Joe and Eddie -- all of whom made appearances. But that was the template, and NBC pretty much stuck with it through two seasons and 48 shows.

After that Hullabaloo was gone, just like our pal Conan.

Get your vinyl on

This news from the BBC passed along by Wayne, an audiophile and vinyl record junkie from Tampa Bay:

More vinyl records were purchased in 2009 than in any previous year since Nielsen SoundScan began compiling music sales figures in 1991.

Baby boomers have forever known the allure of vinyl, but now it has apparently become cool with the iPod generation. Wow, big cool color graphics and photos, liner notes, inserts and type everybody can read! Wait'll they discover what a good set of headphones can do for the sound.

Here are just a few reasons I'm considering buying a new turntable:

-- all those old albums in the garage that are still sitting in boxes
-- the half-price book store on Bluemound is loaded with previously loved vinyl
-- more new inventory becoming available as artists release albums and EPs
-- new turntables are actually quite affordable
-- Amazon.com has a vinyl store offering more than 150,000 titles
-- the sound quality of vinyl, scratches and and all,has never been matched
-- the Vidalias record Chuck sent me that I haven't been able to play

I'm gonna start shopping around today. Can't wait to dust off Mason Proffit's Wanted and hear "Two Hangmen" and "Buffalo" again...

Take this song and love it

There's hardly been a better outlaw song embraced by the masses than "Take This Job and Shove It," which was No. 1 on Billboard's country chart on this date in 1978. Who hasn't sung a few bars or muttered the title during a bad day at work.

David Allan Coe's blue collar anthem was a perfect fit for Johnny Paycheck, a troubled and tortured artist who had a dozen Top 10 singles during his career but never came close to duplicating the success of this gem.

Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
My woman done left
and took all the reasons
I was working for
You better not try to stand in
my way as I'm walking out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more

Paycheck kept plugging along despite health problems and a jail stint late in his career. He died in 2003 at age 65.

On "The Outlaw's Prayer," a minor hit in 1979, he sang "This is Paycheck signing off. I'll see you Lord -- I hope." We hope so too, Johnny. We surely do.