their video for Wild Thing.

The Garage Anthem had an impact on our youth that catapulted every local yokel in the neighborhood to pick up a cheap Japanese electric guitar, hook it up to a cheap Sears Robuck Amplifier, then to memorize (lyrics and chording) Wild Thing to (use as a tool) to woo the kids in the neighborhood. This is how I got my start in the music business.

Before I forget, a couple of important details about Wild Thing should be noted. The composer was Chip Taylor, the brother to Jon Voight and the uncle of Angelina Jolie. The other (Wild) thing is that the song had a tremendous influence on our Punk Rock icons. Amongst those who derived inspiration from Wild Thing are: The Ramones, Iggy Pop and the Buzzcocks.

Let us not forget Jimi Hendrix`s version from Monterey Pop. This is probably the most memorable cover of the Garagie Anthem, that will not ever go away. One last thing that I don`t want to omit, is THE TROGG TAPES, which is a bootleg tape of a BAND ROW from 1972 that is the source of inspiration for Spinal Tap. I`ve never even heard the tape, and will seek it out as keepsake of Rock History! TGIF

Tom Jones

This is surprising, coming from a British singer whose reputation is forged from the mold of a torch/lounge singer. Ain`t No Grave was the title of Johnny Cash`s last album. Tom covers the song written by Claude Ely with gutsy gusto. Some of the songs are early rhythm and blues numbers, such as Run On. Run On was covered by Johnny Cash on his last album (before he died) and was done by Odetta in 1956.

The first track is a Bob Dylan song, What Good Am I? What Good Am I comes from Oh Mercy from 1989. Lord Help is more Chicago electric blues. After all is said and done, Did Trouble Me will probably be the hit on this Tom Jones` milestone of a record. Did Trouble Me was written by Susan Werner and could be categorized as Gospel.

I think you will be absolutely blown away by Praise & Blame! I believe it will be a big hit, especially here in the States. Tom can embrace Americana with a surprising sympathy and understanding for the American Experience. Especially considering that he is a Brit.

One scene in the movie has Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo making a connection on their mutual love of Joni Mitchell album Blue. All I Want is included on the soundtrack. Galatea`s Guitar by Gabor Szabo is, I believe, the track I was thinking of that provides the wonderful ambience of a California organic farm, where many of the scenes are shot.

You will need to see The Kids Are All Right, there is so much going right in here. Lisa Cholodenko directed it and wrote the screenplay, which really works in every sense. And please be sure to check out the kids in the movie, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson, they really make it happen! Search your storage facilities, too, for your old Joni Mitchell album Blue, a classic worth revisiting.

It made Number One in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in June of 1964. Only two Lennon/McCartney compositions, recorded by artists other than The Beatles, made it to Number One-they are, of course, Peter and Gordon`s A World Without Love and Elton John`s version of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. Fab Four fans might recall that, at the time, Paul was dating actress Jane Asher, sister to Peter Asher.

John Lennon use to get a kick out of the opening line, “Please lock me away.” Lindsay Lohan might be able to gain meaning from this whimsical line also. I love the chorus line “I don`t care what they say, I won`t stay in a world without love.” This is a sophisticated MESSAGE of LOVE very early on in the 1960s before the whole PEACE & LOVE thing took off or was even thought of. Paul was ahead of his times.

It still speaks to us today; give it a whirl! You can pick it up on itunes. If all of us would insist on making our world one filled with LOVE, then maybe we could stop all these wars. The person in the song is lonely because he/she has principles and simply insists on a peaceful, loving world. “Don`t allow the day,” that is, make your Friday A World Filled With Love!  *P.S. I LOVE YOU. (We`ll be swimmin` in sea of flowers all day this day of Friday, July 23, 2010). STILL ALIVE TOO! *(source-Wikipedia and my own memories.)

The show at the Whitney will run through September 26, and will feature many spontaneous projects, such as musicians creating their own soundtrack to a 29-minutes of random film footage, titled Screen Play, that is spliced together with no particular order. Marclay`s own claim to fame is the use of turntables playing vinyl. Each turntable is its own musical instrument. I believe YouTube has some of these experiments posted.

Please be sure to read my favorite art critic, Roberta Smith`s piece, Seeing (and Playing) Music of Everyday Life, for more information about the Whitney show. Let`s see…how can an art object or a collage be a musical score? And I never realized that my Quadraflex QL-410 turntable from the `70s was a musical instrument?

Sue Baker will auction off her collection of photos and memorabilia next month. Sue will certainly get a pretty penny for these priceless memories of a more innocent age, but I`m not so sure she should do this? She should retain the rights to these pics and maybe have a picture book published. Sue would haul in more MOOLAH by doing this!

The Daily Mail piece emphasizes that this was a much more innocent time. The Beatles liked it when Sue dropped by and they weren`t pretentious or paranoid whatsoever. And can you imagine living in a psychedelic bungalow where no Tea Party assholes were around to harass you? Boy, we`ve come a long way since 1968-NOT!

I want to view all these pics that Sue Baker took sometime. I want to remember what a happy world it once was, when a young lass could make a bit of change on a paper route, then use it for train fares to go and visit her English buddies on the weekend and have a bit of a chat. *(That`s my pic of Sue`s pic of George`s psychedelic bungalow.) You can drop by my psychedelic crash pad condo sometime, if you like?  TGIF

This collection hits the spot though. Got Thunderball and From Russia With Love coming on Netflix. Been eyeing with envy some of those box sets of the Bond series. Haven`t seen Octopussy in a while, but digging All Time High by Rita Coolidge. My favorite for right now is Diamonds Are Forever (1971) with Shirley Bassey delivering the vocal. And Shirley returns one more time for Moonraker from 1979.

Lest I forget, this sterling collection has For Your Eyes Only (1981) with Sheena Easton doing the honors. The Potatoes use to woo the masses at The Bar of Soap with this showstopper. I had completely forgotten the lyrics, but the platter refreshes my faded memory. For the remainder of the summer I will attempt to watch every single Bond flick and decide once and for all which one is my favorite. Hard to topple Goldfinger!

I need to pick up some Ian Fleming paperbacks too. After all, he dreamed up the Bond character and these exciting stories of intrigue! *P.S. Got to see Thunderball on the big screen (Paramount) a few years ago.

Ferus

As might be expected, the audience didn`t get too bent out of shape about this unexciting exhibit. But gossip started to circulate and people contemplated the notion of everyday objects as worthy of the moniker of ‘ART.’ This is generally heralded as the First Pop Art Show. I produced a slice of Pop Art just a few seconds ago.

My photo is a copy of a copy of a copy. Therefore, it`s not a copy. It`s original. No copyright agreement has been breached. Everyone is happy. Note that Dennis Hopper was a first enthusiast for Andy`s Campbell Soup Cans. For music, you know the drill, get out the Banana album-The Velvet Underground & Nico.

What`s so intriguing about a bunch of stupid soup cans anyway? We still ask that question forty-eight years later…Best art history book for Pop Art?-Pop Art by Lucy R. Lippard, naturally enough. Work of art itself.

Miracle in Texas! I snatched up Elvis-Aloha From Hawaii. VH1 had played it in the late `90s one time, and I was smart enough to record it. I have pristine copy, quite clear, never played it in 12 or 13 years. Elvis is thin and in top form. Love his Something by George Harrison. This was 1973 and The King was very much together at that time.

When your internet connection is gone, your life is over with. Elvis died before the internet came along. But The King is alive and well on the internet. And I come back from the dead where THE TWAIN SHALL MEET-KING AND CYBERSPACE! *(sources-musty VHS tape + my troubled SOUL)

Don`t want to be the grinch that stole our precious trees, so I`ll bring you the Wikipedia entry for Ringo. Just as a warning, it will consume the better part of an afternoon to revisit all the splendid memories and achievements of Mister Starr. What better things do you have to do anyway, my friend?

I picked up the No No Song on itunes a minute ago. “I`m tired of wakening up on the floor.” That`s a good lesson for you. How `bout that pic of a Beatle Starr. That`s a huge ring, don`t you think? Anyway, gotta get ready for the factory. Check out this video of Photograph! Great pics of a young Ringo and the rest of the boys. HAPPY 70TH RINGO!