O/T The Music Thread

Straight to the folk music rack. And I did enjoy some of their stuff, too…

I was helping to set up a new store once and there was a guy about ten years younger than me that came in to do a bit of carpentry. I had soft rock on that day. He liked heavier rock. As the day went on, he said “Leon, I just heard the Carpenters! Can we change the station?” I said “Gary, put it on any station you want buddy.” It was like I had told him he’d get double pay….

Saw The Beatles at Shea for around $5.

Yeah, two different musical planets, for sure.  I'm a bit surprised that they would go out of their way to attack a band like that, because they seemed to me to still want some street cred despite making millions with mainstream pop.  I remember a Rolling Stone interview with Karen Carpenter where she dropped more F-Bombs than Janis Joplin after a fifth of Southern Comfort.

The New York Dolls were definitely cutting edge.  Like Velvet Underground or Iggy and the Stooges.  If I am remembering correctly, they were even ahead of the proto-punks like Talking Heads and The Sex Pistols and The Ramones and Patti Smith Group.  David Johansen has been so over the map his whole career, but I liked him best during his solo "Funky But Chic" or "Is This What I Get For Loving You" period.  As much as I always enjoyed a wide range of music, I was never going to be the first guy in my circle to latch on to a group like The New York Dolls.  I always need an adjustment period, as I did with Hendrix or Steely Dan or any other new direction.  But the adjustment period was never long -- like maybe a couple of days -- so at least I was the second or third guy in my circle to catch up and then it was my turn to say "What! You haven't heard that new cut from Nervus Rex?  Where have you been?"

The only time I ever went to CBGB the band playing was a group from Queens called The Fleshtones.  I wonder if you recall them.  I supported a lot of commercially unsuccessful bands in the 70s like The Fabulous Poodles and Four Out Of Five Doctors and Tenpole Tudor and Toe Fat.  Another great lost band from that time was The Cretones -- very mainstream power pop, don't know how they didn't make it -- Ronstadt covered a bunch of their songs like "Catherine" and "Real Love" but of course she covered everything.  Anyway, I love discussing this stuff.

Oh man, that one made my day.  I haven't thought about the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble in decades, but that album was one of the heavy rotation background soundtracks for our weeknight post-dinner pinochle/poker/hearts games in college.  "Down The Highway" and "Gravedigger" are two more I remember well from that LP.  That album and stuff by Seatrain ("13 Questions) and The Moody Blues ("Threshhold Of A Dream") and Led Zeppelin (1 through 4) and Cream ("Wheels Of Fire") have those same associations.  Also the enormously talented Emitt Rhodes ("Fresh As A Daisy") who I am guessing you are familiar with.

NY R&R Ensemble came a few years after another enormously talented group of Juilliard students, the Left Banke, had some big hits of the baroque rock school -- "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina" were their two biggest, but their albums were all very strong.  The Move, a UK group that later morphed into ELO, was another group that brought their own cellos to the concert.

"Walk Away Renee" & "Pretty Ballerina" were favorites. Had the singles of both and as I recall the flip side of one was also pretty good...although I don't remember the name or the tune.

I believe "Beside You" (NYR&R) was used in the Robin Williams movie "What Dreams May Come".

Years ago, prior to having a closed MRI I was asked if I wanted any music piped in. I said ok, and was given a choice from the artists available. I chose Moody Blues and once I was inside "Threshold Of A Dream' began, starting with "In The Beginning". I was really happy when "Lovely To See You" kicked in.

Good stuff Bob.  The flips of those two were "I Haven't Got The Nerve" and "Lazy Day."  Both nice songs.  They had another minor hit called "She May Call You Up Tonight" that I like as much as Renee and Ballerina.

The Moodies did have just a touch of pretense with their ponderous poetic breaks, but I still like the music.  Others from that album were "Send Me No Wine" and "Never Comes The Day" and "Are You Sitting Comfortably."  And always great album covers.