Friday, January 19, 2007

Words made Witty by Ashleigh Brilliant........ another quipologist I enjoy

"Haight-Ashbury The Beautiful"
By Ashleigh Brilliant

O beautiful for hairy beard,
For psychedelic smiles,
For lava-lamps and costumes weird
And run-away juveniles.

Haight-Ashbury, Haight-Ashbury,
America unbound!
Within thy good old neighborhood:
The rising underground.

O beautiful for hippie feet
That walk without mishap
Through tourist trash on every street
And piles of canine crap.

Haight-Ashbury, Haight-Ashbury,
Your own conclusion draw--
Collapse entire or die by fire,
But never go bourgeois!

--Kate

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Recommended "New" Music -- In No Particular Order (Part 2)


People come up to me all of the time, and they all ask me the very same thing. They approach me at the studio; they buttonhole me at the office; they sidle up next to me at the haberdasher's; they seek me out at the club; they corner me at the garage; they even hail me on the open street; and they all ask the same thing these days: They say, "Spencer, what should I now be buying? What is good, currently? Spence," they say, "to what NEW music should I be listening, now?" Then, for a brief moment they pause, as they work up further courage, and they continue, "Spence, to what are YOU listening, if I may be so bold as to inquire?"


Well, on some days my memory for all the current titles is better than on others; so, some of these poor souls hear about the glories of only five or six new selections; whereas, on the following day, I might regale my listener with the magnificence of a full dozen of the finest recent efforts in the musical world. However, it occurs to me now, that I might save myself some time, and provide my friends and dear readers with a more complete listing, if I were simply to include in this post the various titles of those CDs which have captured (or are about to capture) a coveted spot, for the present moment, in my CD changer.

Further, to save everyone involved even more time, it seems fairly appropriate to simply include an image of the cover of each CD, without going into any long explanations as to why it is good. This will save those who already own (or have already heard) an individual title, the drudgery of plowing through my analysis of its virtues. If an image is unfamiliar to you, or if you cannot read the title, merely click on the image, and the appropriate title should be revealed at the top of your screen.

Unless I have erred, all of these CDs are of recent enough issue to be considered, "relatively new," appearing sometime within the last 18 months or so. Obviously, a few of the titles will appear to be much older: In such cases, it is generally the, "Remastered, Expanded, Edition," or a new, "British or European Import Version," which I am recommending; and I've only chosen such new versions where the additional bonus material or the quality of the digital remastering basically makes the title a significantly more valuable item than its old incarnation had been!

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-- Spencer

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

HARD-ONS... One of My New Favorite Things!










--Spencer


Bobby Troup -- Master Wordsmith ......(almost)










Won't you get hip to this timely tip...

ROUTE 66

(Bobby Troup)

Recorded by: The Andrews Sisters; Chuck Berry; Ray Charles; Rosemary Clooney; King Cole Trio; Nat King Cole; Perry Como; Bing Crosby; Sammy Davis Jr.; The Four Freshmen; Buddy Greco; Roy Hamilton; Ted Heath; Harry James; Al Jarreau; Louis Jordan; George Maharis; Manhattan Transfer; George Melly; Patti Page; John Pizzarelli; Louis Prima; Buddy Rich; The Rolling Stones; Nancy Sinatra; Mel Tormé; Bobby Troup; ..... and many more.


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If you ever plan to motor west,
travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

It winds from Chicago to LA,
more than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Now you go through Saint Looey
Joplin, Missouri,
and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.
You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
when you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

(solo)

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
when you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
when you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
when you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

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--Spencer