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Willie Simpson, The Necrophiliac
Are you OK? Did you survive the wrath of Hurricane Sandy? Somehow, in the middle of Brooklyn, I managed to hold onto power, internet, and hot water, a real miracle. I had never heard more menacing and frightening winds ever in my life. It was quite the experience. Well, I hope you are fine, and…
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Willie Simpson, My Girlfriend Needs An Exorcism
I wrote this song originally in 2007 (I think) in a fit of post break up madness. The song was my therapy for an otherwise sad separation. It went through a few iterations before I left it incomplete with shambling static laced vocals, unfinished drums, and an overall horrendous mix. I always kept the song…
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Big Mama Thorton, Budddy Guy, Hound Dog
“Hound Dog” is one of the greatest blues rock songs of all time, so it should come as no surprise that this is the third instance of me posting a version of it. The other two occasions involved the King Elvis Presley, but for this time, I have the superior version. Its Big Mama Thorton…
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The Who, Pinball Wizard
My pal Jimm D. found this video, and boy do I owe him a thank you. This performance of “Pinball Wizard” by the Who is one of the single greatest rock and roll displays of all time. While I’m pretty sure that the instrumentation is mimed, as was the case in many 60s era television…
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Happy 72 John Lennon, Woman
Well, if John Lennon had survived, he’d be 72 years old today. I do think its kind of strange to wish a dead man happy birthday, but this is John Lennon, a guy that still lives in my fantasies and dreams. Along with Martin Luther King Jr., JFK, RFK, and Bob Marley, John Lennon is…
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Petula Clark, Downtown, A Sign of the Times
Normally, when you think about the end of the baseball season, you don’t think about Petula Clark, but I do. I’m a rabid New York Mets fan, and when I was a kid, I had a VHS of “Amazin Era,” a film about the history of the New York Mets from 1962-1985. I watched that…
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Up Ahead My Head, and Documentary
Since my last post on the insanely great Sister Rosetta Tharpe, I’ve come to learn a great deal about her thanks to a wonderful hour long documentary on her produced by the BBC. The documentary tracks her sensational life and career in complete loving detail. The main thing you take away from the film is…
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The Unparelled Sister Rosetta Tharpe
For those who have never heard of, or seen Sister Rosetta Tharpe, welcome to your baptism by fire. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is the first superstar of gospel, known as “the original soul sister,” and ever since her life was tragically cut short at the too young age of 58, her feats and persona have never…
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The Bobby Fuller Four, I Fought the Law
The year was 1966. Bobby Fuller was a 23-year-old Texas rocker, riding high off the chart topping success of “I Fought the Law.” He had moved out to California, been experimenting with LSD like the rest of his generation, and then suddenly, he died. How? Why? Nobody is really certain to this day. He was…
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The Bobby Fuller Four, Let Her Dance, Another Sad and Lonely Night
Anyone lucky enough to see Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” has heard Bobby Fuller’s incredible rock and roll classic, “Let Her Dance.” The song is just full of joy. The ultra catchy background vocals bleat incessantly, Bobby Fuller’s lead vocal is drenched in the kind of echo you get from singing at a drive in…
