Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bob Dylan

2012-01-28T08:20:00.000-05:00

Artist:Bob Dylan
Song:Like A Rolling Stone
Album:The Essential Bob Dylan

Today the mid-60s resistance to Bob Dylan's use of electric instruments seems awfully silly. But he was booed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. And Columbia Records didn't want to release the six minute long Like A Rolling Stone as a single. It's still his biggest chart single. Bob Dylan's influence as a songwriter is immeasurable. I'm not a fan of his singing because he mumbles too much. But his legacy especially in the 60s can't be denied. He was born Robert Zimmerman May 24, 1941 in Duluth, MN and grew up in nearby Hibbing. He got into music at an early age and played in bands while attending the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He was influenced by poet Dylan Thomas to adopt the stage name Bob Dylan. Of course Dylan's main influence was folk music legend Woody Guthrie. So he moved to New York in 1961 to emulate his idol. By then Guthrie was very ill and Dylan visited him in the hospital and he became friends with Guthrie's pal Ramblin' Jack Elliott. After playing local clubs, legendary talent scout John Hammond signed Dylan to Columbia Records. His 1962 debut album was standard folk album of mostly covers. He started recording more of his own songs on the 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The Guthrie influence was still there and Pete Seeger influenced the topical nature of the songs. Others started to record his songs and Dylan became involved in the civil rights movement with Joan Baez. He eventually became disillusioned with the protest movement and folk music in general. So with the 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home, he started recording with electric instruments. The turning point for this change was when Dylan performed at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival backed by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The hostile response from folk music purists convinced Dylan that he was on the right track. His next album Highway 61 Revisited started with the six minute Like A Rolling Stone featuring Al Kooper's organ riffs. Columbia didn't want to release it as a single but DJs played it and it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Remember back then most singles were less than three minutes long. So the song was very influential in changing that. Of course since then Bob Dylan has had a long career. This 2CD comp is a good intro to his music. I haven't been a Dylan fan for years because I don't like his singing or I guess it could be called mumbling. But there's no question that his 60s recordings shaped pop music. Here's Bob Dylan performing Like A Rolling Stone 1966.

VV Mei vs Katja Kankaanpaa set for Mar. 23 in Finland

2012-01-27T21:44:00.001-05:00

VV Mei posted on her blog today that she is going to Finland to fight undefeated prospect Katja Kankaanpaa Mar. 23 in Botnia, Finland. the fight is contracted for 52kg and is scheduled for three five minute rounds. This will be Mei's first fight outside Japan. She's a freelancer and her record is 9-3-1. She's a former VALKYRIE champ. But since winning that title, she has given a series of lackluster performances and has benefitted from questionable judging decisions. Her last fight was a split decision win over Mika Nagano on the Dec. 17 JEWELS show. But some in attendance thought Mika won and was robbed by an incompetent judge who made poor decisions throughout the show. Mei is aware that she has underperformed and that's why she changed her ring name. She wanted a new start. Most fighters know that when they escape with a win instead of winning decisively, it's not really a win. And that's where Mei is right now. Katja is 5-0 and will be fighting in her hometown of Botnia. Her last fight was a pretty good one. She beat Karla Benitez by unanimous decision on the Oct. 16 Cage 16 show. And Katja filled in at the last minute. Remember Karla was undefeated at the time. I have the video for that match and Katja does a pretty good job controlling Karla on the ground. She started out in karate but in an interview with Cage Queen, she says she really enjoys submission wrestling. Like a lot of European female fighters, her biggest problem is finding training partners. She trains at Team Botnia Punishment. But she frequently travels a hundred miles to Kauhajoki to train with veteran fighter Jarkko Latomaki. She says he's helped her a lot. Because of Katja's relative inexperience, VV Mei should be the favourite as she is clearly a step up in competition for Katja. A win for Katja would certainly be an upset. But you never know. She was pretty impressive stepping up to beat Karla Benitez. Check it out for yourself. This video is not on Youtube.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Buddy Morrow

2012-01-27T08:13:00.002-05:00

Artist:Buddy Morrow
Song:Night Train
Album:A Big Band Buddy

Trombonist Buddy Morrow was best known for his days with Tommy Dorsey in the 30s and other big bands in the 40s. But he also had brief success with his own band in the 50s. His recording of Night Train charted in 1952 and became a jukebox favourite especially with strippers. Morrow continued to perform big band swing until his 2010 death. He was born Muni Zudekoff Feb. 8, 1919 in New Haven, CT. He studied trombone at what became Juilliard and then moved to New York in 1936. He performed as Moe Zudekoff for trumpeter Sharkey Bonano and then he moved on to the bands of Eddie Duchin, Vincent Lopez and Artie Shaw. He joined the Tommy Dorsey band in 1938 and changed his name to Buddy Morrow. He also recorded with Paul Whiteman. In the 40s, he replaced Ray Conniff in the Bob Crosby band. And while in the service during WWII, he recorded with Billy Butterfield. After the war ended, Morrow unsuccessfully tried to start his own band. Then he worked for Jimmy Dorsey and Morrow became a session musician. His session work led to a contract with RCA Records. Night Train reached #27 on the hit parade. Night Train started out as a Johnny Hodges sax riff in the Duke Ellington song That's The Blues, Old Man. Jimmy Forrest performed the solo when he was in the Ellington band. In 1951, Forrest expanded the solo into the full song Night Train and topped the R & B charts. Basically, Morrow's recording is the white version of a black recording. That sort of thing was very common in the 50s as white radio stations would not play back artists. Of course lots of folks have recorded Night Train, most significantly James Brown. Morrow's version became very popular with strippers so it was a jukebox staple for years. Morrow continued to record in the 50s. You can get a good sampling on this comp from the British label Jasmine. Morrow also recorded two albums of TV themes in 1959. In the 60s, Morrow was a member of The Tonight Show band. And for many years he led the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and toured the nostalgia circuit. He was given a lifetime achievement award by the International Trombone Association in 2009. Buddy Morrow died on Sept. 27, 2010 at age 91. Here's a video for Night Train by Buddy Morrow.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kenny Chesney

2012-01-26T08:26:00.000-05:00

Artist:Kenny Chesney
Song:The Good Stuff
Album:Greatest Hits II

After a false start in his music career, Kenny Chesney went to the top of the country music charts in the mid 90s and is still there today. He has had 20 number one country hits including The Good Stuff and he has also crossed over to the pop charts. And he has won numerous awards. He was born Mar. 26, 1968 in Knoxville, TN. He got into music while studying advertising at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. He pressed 1000 copies of a demo album and sold them when he played local shows. After graduating, he moved to Nashville and was the resident performer at The Turf. This led to a songwriting contract with Opryland Music in 1992. An appearance on a songwriter's showcase got Chesney a record deal with Capricorn Records. They had just opened a country division and then closed it shortly after Chesney's 1994 CD In My Wildest Dreams was released. He signed with RCA's BNA label and his 1995 CD All I Need To Know delivered two top ten country hits. She's Got It All was his first number one country hit in 1997. And he's been at the top of the country charts ever since. The Good Stuff is from his 2002 CD No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem. It topped the country charts and reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also named Billboard's top country song of 2002. It was Chesney's biggest hit to date. The Good Stuff was written by Jim Collins and Craig Wiseman. Collins recorded three CDs in the 90s but has been more successful as a songwriter. Wiseman has been very successful writing songs and is a Chesney favourite. Chesney has continued his success including his latest CD Hemingway's Whiskey released in July 2010. RCA released this comp in 2010 with a couple of previously unreleased tracks. Chesney famously married actress Renee Zellweger in May 2005. The marriage was annulled Dec. 2005. Chesney admitted he couldn't handle the intense media scrutiny of the marriage. More recently Chesney produced the documentary The Color Orange about quarterback Conredge Holloway for ESPN. He is currently on tour with Tim McGraw, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals & Jake Owen. I don't see Kenny Chesney slowing down anytime soon. Here's the video for The Good Stuff by Kenny Chesney.

WINDY Tomomi announces retirement

2012-01-25T20:20:00.001-05:00

WINDY Tomomi

At a press conference held today, WINDY Tomomi announced her retirement plans. This was announced on the PANCRASE website on Monday. Her retirement match will be on the Mar. 11 Differ Ariake show and her opponent will be JEWELS fighter Saori Ishioka. WINDY started out in kickboxing in 1999 and switched to MMA in 2002. For years, Hisae Watanabe was her training partner at PANCRASE. WINDY's record is 17-13-1. Obviously with her kickboxing background, she has been one of the most powerful strikers in women's MMA. But she has always been vulnerable on the ground. She's always going to give a good accounting of herself. But that record won't attract promoters. WINDY said she has been thinking about retirement for the last six months. Her last fight was a win over Sadie Manhoef on the July 23 PANCRASE show. She figures she's 35 years old and in good health. She's not injured right now. The time is right to get out while she's still healthy. When one of her pals at PANCRASE recently retired, she decided to retire too. She wanted to fight a younger fighter in her retirement match to pass the torch. And despite the fact that Ishioka has an 11-7 record and has been fighting since 2007, she's still only 24. Her last fight was a loss to Yuka Tsuji on the July 9 JEWELS show. She trains at Zendokai in Yokohama. So I expect this karate girl to keep the fight standing. The fight is contracted for 52.2kg and is scheduled for two five minute rounds. WINDY didn't say what she will do after retirement but it would not surprise me if she continued to work at PANCRASE as a strike trainer.

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Laura Gibson

2012-01-25T08:02:00.002-05:00

Artist:Laura Gibson
Song:Where Have All Your Good Words Gone?
Album:Beasts Of Seasons

Folksinger Laura Gibson is never going to be a big star. But if you're a fan of minimalist but dramatic music, she is worth checking out. She is a big part of the Portland, OR folk music scene. She was born and raised in Coquile, OR which is in the southwest part of Oregon. She moved to Portland and graduated from Linfield College. Since 2004 she has been a staple on the Portland folk scene. Where Have All Your Good Words Gone? is from her 2009 CD Beasts Of Seasons. She has recorded for Hush Records which is a Portland based label. The Decemberists and Norfolk and Western are among the artists on the label. Laura was the opening act when Decemberists leader Colin Meloy toured in 2009 and she was on his EP Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke. She has also recorded with the outstanding singer Laura Veirs and The Portland Cello Project. In addition to her own music, she does session work. Her new CD La Grande was released yesterday. When I listen to her, I hear jazz influences including Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. So I recommend Laura Gibson to folk music fans. Here's the video for Where Have All Your Good Words Gone?

Haywire review

2012-01-24T20:34:00.002-05:00

So I went to see Haywire today. Of course this is the film debut of MMA fighter Gina Carano. Director Steven Soderbergh saw Gina fight on a 2008 EliteXC show and decided to build a film around her. He hired Lem Dobbs to write the script (he wrote The Limey) and Soderbergh did the cimematography himself as Peter Andrews. His idea was to make the fight scenes as realistic as possible with no camera tricks or CGI. For the most part, that part of the film is successful as Gina expertly kicks ass. But the story is such convoluted nonsense even for this genre of film that it could frustrate viewers. Half the film is told in flashbacks. And you won't be able to figure out the rest of it. The basic story is Gina plays Mallory Kane, a black ops operative who is double crossed by every member of the cast except her father. It starts with a fight against Channing Tatum in a coffee shop. And then she hijacks a car and tells her story to the poor schlub. That made absolutely no sense. Look, it's just a silly plot device that leads to more fight scenes. And Gina is great in the fight scenes. It seems like Soderbergh didn't care if the story made sense. But viewers do care. And that's why I think Haywire is ultimately a failure. The plot is too difficult for anyone to figure out. There are several big stars like Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum getting beat up by Gina. But all of them are cardboard characters with no personality. And I wasn't impressed by all the running around in Barcelona. The one thing I did like was David Holmes' 70s retro Lalo Schifrin influenced musical score. The film grossed $9M last weekend which was about what was expected. The film budget was modest and it should do well in foreign markets. Not being 3D may have hurt the film. It also had a Cinemascore rating of D+ probably because the trailer gave up too much of the story. Gina is fine with what she is given to do. But other than the fight scenes, that ain't much. So will Gina Carano come back to MMA? It depends on what kind of films she is offered. Once she has worked with Soderbergh in her debut, it's all downhill from there. I wouldn't be surprised to see her back in the cage this year. So if you're a big Gina Carano fan, Haywire is worth seeing for her fight scenes. But if convoluted stories bother you, wait for the DVD. Here's the trailer for Haywire.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sheryl Crow

2012-01-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

Artist:Sheryl Crow
Song:All I Wanna Do
Album:The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow has proven to be one of the most durable singer songwriters to emerge in the 90s. All I Wanna Do was her breakthrough hit in 1994 and is to date her biggest hit. She was born Feb. 11, 1962 in Kennett, MO. Her father was a lawyer who played trumpet in local bands and her mom was a piano teacher. So of course Sheryl learned piano as a child. While attending the University Of Missouri, she was in the local band Cashmere. She earned a BA in music composition. While working as an elementary school music teacher, she recorded jingles with local musician Jay Oliver. She made enough money from the jingles to pursue music full time. She moved to Los Angeles and worked as a studio singer while touring with Michael Jackson. She also appeared in the TV series Cop Rock. Record companies wanted to sign her as a dance pop singer. She turned them down until Phil Collins' producer Hugh Padgham got her a deal with A & M Records. But her debut album was never released. She didn't like it and neither did A & M. Back to the drawing board. She was dating session keyboard player Kevin Gilbert and he got her involved in collection of musicians called Tuesday Night Music Club led by producer Bill Bottrell and also including David Baerwald, David Ricketts, Brian MacLeod and Dan Schwartz. Because Sheryl had a record deal, they concentrated on producing her 1993 album Tuesday Night Music Club. The first two singles didn't catch on. But All I Wanna Do finally scored and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1994. The song was based on the poem Fun by Wyn Cooper. That was Bottrell's idea. The music video helped as Sheryl was portrayed as very sassy. There's actually a second music video that you can watch on Youtube. Sheryl won three Grammys in 1995. Sheryl continued to have success with hits like If It Makes You Happy. She still records for A & M and is scheduled to release a new CD in 2012. This comp is a good intro to her music. Sheryl Crow had surgery for breast cancer in 2006 that appears to have been successful. She has never married but was engaged to cyclist Lance Armstrong a few years ago. She has adopted two sons and is currently dating guitarist Doyle Bramhall II. She is also working on the music for the stage musical adaptation of the 1982 film Diner which is to debut on Broadway later this year. So she's still very busy. Here's the video for All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wang Chung

2012-01-23T07:54:00.000-05:00

Artist:Wang Chung
Song:Everybody Have Fun Tonight
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Wang Chung

The British group Wang Chung had their biggest success with the 1986 top five hit Everybody Have Fun Tonight. They had some other hits but this song is very durable. Singer guitarist Jeremy Ryder AKA Jack Hues and bassist Nick Feldman met in 1977. Hues responded to Feldman's ad in Melody Maker and the resulting band The Intellektuals lasted for six months. Then they formed 57 Men with drummer Darren Costin, bassist Leigh Gorman, keyboardist Simon Campbell and singer Glenn Gregory. They split up after a year and a half. Gregory went on to be lead singer of Heaven 17 and Gorman was in Bowwowwow. Hues, Feldman and Costin then formed Huang Chung which supposedly means perfect pitch in Chinese. After a couple of singles, Huang Chung signed with Arista Records in 1981. They also added sax player Dave Burnand. They recorded an unsuccessful album for Arista and they asked to be released from their contract. Also, Burnand left. They changed their name to Wang Chung and signed with Geffen Records. Their 1983 album Points On A Curve spawned the top 20 hit Dance Hall Days. Then they recorded the score for the 1984 film To Live and Die In LA for director William Friedkin. That was also successful. Costin left in 1985 and for the 1986 album Mosaic he was replaced by producer Peter Wolf. Not to be confused with the lead singer of J. Geils Band, this Peter Wolf was born in Austria. He moved to the US in the late 70s and played keyboards for Frank Zappa. He went on to a very successful production career in the 80s and produced #1 hits for Starship, El DeBarge, Heart and Patti LaBelle. Everybody Have Fun Tonight reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video directed by Godley & Creme was a big part of that success. Of course the song had a great hook that is still memorable today. The single Let's Go was also a top ten hit. Wang Chung released one more disappointing album in 1989 and then split up. This budget comp is a good intro to their music. Feldman formed Promised Land with Jon Moss of Culture Club and they released an album in 1992. Hues recorded a solo album that was shelved and recorded Strictly Inc. with Tony Banks of Genesis in 1995. Wang Chung reunited briefly in 1997. Feldman dropped out but Hues continues to lead them today. Here's the video for Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sara McMann vs Hitomi Akano

2012-01-22T21:09:00.001-05:00

Here's the Sara McMann vs Hitomi Akano fight video from last night's ProElite show in Hawaii. The match went pretty much as expected. Sara is so much bigger and stronger than Hitomi, there's no way that Hitomi could stop Sara from taking her down. So obviously Hitomi tried to work submissions from the bottom. And because Hitomi is capable of getting a submission from that position, Sara had to be very careful and couldn't be as aggressive as she would have been with someone else. The funny part was HDNet's Michael Schiavello announced at the start of the match that Sara wanted to keep the fight standing. I'm sure that's what she told him but it lasted about 30 seconds until the first takedown. I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. For the most part, Hitomi's defense from the bottom was pretty good. But you don't get points for defense. and you don't get points for near submissions. So the only way Hitomi was going to win was if Sara made a mistake and got caught with an armbar. But Sara played it safe and won an easy decision. And it was over a higher ranked opponent. Of course that's why ProElite booked the fight and gave Hitomi a three fight contract. Too bad I don't care about rankings. There's no question that Sara McMann has impressive physical talents. But I am not impressed with unanimous decision wins over undersized opponents. I would like to see her fight someone good who is her own size. But I don't expect that opponent to be Marloes Coenen. She is signed to a different company and I don't expect them to let her fight in ProElite when they've got a show coming up in the spring. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sammi Smith

2012-01-22T08:16:00.002-05:00

Artist:Sammi Smith
Song:Help Me Make It Through The Night
Album:The Best Of Sammi Smith

Of course Help Me Make It Through The Night is a classic Kris Kristofferson song and plenty of singers have recorded it. But country singer Sammi Smith had the biggest hit with the song and even crossed over to the pop charts. She was also a big part of the 70s outlaw country movement with Waylon Jennings. She was born Jewel Faye Smith Aug. 5, 1943 in Orange Country, CA where her dad was stationed in the military. After some moving around, the family went back to their native Oklahoma. At age 11, she dropped out of school and began singing in clubs. She was married at age 15 and had four children but divorced in her twenties. Sammi moved to Nashville in 1967 and Johnny Cash got her a deal with Columbia. She recorded five singles for Columbia. None of them were big hits. So then Sammi signed with the new label Mega Records run by veteran RCA Nashville promotion man Brad McCuen. Help Me Make it Through The Night was her debut album in 1970 and Help Me Make It Through The Night was the second single.The single topped the Country Singles chart and reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album topped the Country Album chart. Her producer was Monument Records recording engineer Jim Malloy. A lot of singers have recorded Help Me Make It Through The Night but Sammi Smith's version is the definitive version. She won a 1972 Best Country Vocal Performance Grammy. Sammi moved to Dallas in 1973 and joined Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in the outlaw country movement. She toured with both and married Nelson's guitarist Jody Payne. She didn't have the same success partially because it seemed that Mega Records was swallowed up by a larger company every year and her country pop style needed to change and didn't. They closed in 1976. You can get all of her hits on this Varese comp. Sammi recorded one album for Elektra and a couple of others for small labels and had a couple more country hits in the 80s. She was supposed to be part of the outlaw movement with Jennings but her music didn't fit in with their style. It was a missed opportunity that was not recognized by her record company. But she seemed to retire from music and moved back to Oklahoma and became an activist for Native American issues. Sammi Smith died on Feb. 12, 2005 at age 61. Her son Waylon Payne is a singer, songwriter and actor in Los Angeles. He played Jerry Lee Lewis in the 2005 film I Walk The Line. Here's Sammi Smith performing Help Me Make It Through The Night on That Good Ole Nashville Music 1971.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sherrie Austin

2012-01-21T08:27:00.002-05:00

Artist:Sherrie Austin
Song:Drivin' In My Car
Album:Streets Of Heaven

Aussie country music singer songwriter Sherrie Austin started out in the late 80s as an actress. She moved to Nashville and had some modest success before going back to acting in 2005. She has now returned to Nashville as music is her first love. She was born Sherrie Veronica Krenn Aug. 28, 1970 in Sydney, Australia and opened for Johnny Cash at age 14. She moved to the US and played Pippa McKenna on the TV series Facts Of Life in the late 80s. In 1992, she recorded for Interscope Records as a member of the group Colorhaus. She moved to Nashville and signed with Arista. She recorded two albums for Arista and had three top 40 country hits. She left Arista after it was purchased by RCA. She recorded the 2001 album Followin' A Feelin' for a label owned by her publishing company. Then she signed with Broken Bow Records and the 2004 album Streets Of Heaven did reached #22 on the Country Album chart. The Single Streets Of Heaven is her biggest hit single to date and Drivin' Into The Sun also charted. Sherrie wrote Drivin' Into The Sun with singer songwriter Georgia Middleman. Sherrie moved to New York in 2005 and starred in the Broadway musicals Bonnie & Clyde, Ring Of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show and Warrior. She got good reviews but moved back to Nashville in 2006. While attempting to re-establish herself as a recording artist, Sherrie has had success writing songs for others. She released her new CD Circus Girl on her own label in Nov. 2011 and will appear in an episode of the Sundance Channel reality show Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys. And Nashville Lifestyles Magazine named her one of 2011's 25 Most Beautiful People. We'll see if she has any success. Here's the video for Drivin' Into The Sun by Sherrie Austin.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gorgeous George

2012-01-20T07:52:00.002-05:00

Artist:Gorgeous George
Song:Biggest Fool In Town
Album:The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968

Of course everyone knows about the pioneering pro wrestler George "Gorgeous George" Wagner. This Gorgeous George recorded a few soul singles in the 60s including The Biggest Fool In Town for Stax. He's better known as the costume designer for the stars. But when you listen to The Biggest Fool In Town, you will wish he had recorded more. His real name is Theodopholos George Odell and he has owned his own tailor shop in Atlanta for many years. He designed all of James Brown's costumes and through that designed costumes for many stars including The Isley Brothers and Muhammad Ali. He also does a lot of emcee work. I can only assume Odell was a wrestling fan and thought his personality was big enough for the Gorgeous George name. I guess he wanted to be a singer too but he wasn't going to give up his main business to concentrate on that. So he first recorded the single Now I Believe for the New Jersey based Neptune label in 1961. Then George recorded Teach Me for his own Hale label in 1962. He went to Memphis in 1965 to record for Stax. George wrote The Biggest Fool In Town and Steve Cropper produced the record. It's a great deep soul performance. But unfortunately nothing came of it and he returned to Atlanta. You can get The Biggest Fool In Town on the 9CD Stax-Volt Singles box set which I recommend to all soul fans. It contains a lot of great obscure songs like this. George recorded for William Bell's Peachtree label in 1968 and recorded a couple of singles in 1976. But for the most part, Gorgeous George concentrated on his costume design business and in recent years was emcee for The Isley Brothers. Here's a video for The Biggest Fool In Town by Gorgeous George. Thanks to Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven for the Gorgeous George info.

RENA vs The Comedians: The Rematch

2012-01-19T14:38:00.000-05:00

You may recall that last year I posted a video of SHOOT BOXING poster girl RENA beating up three comedians on a TBS TV show. This show generated a lot of interest in RENA on search engines in Japan. But the comedians weren't too happy about losing to a girl. So they demanded a rematch and it aired on TBS on Dec. 26. So I have found the video of that show. RENA puts the first guy to sleep with a standing rear naked choke, a hold that is legal in SHOOT BOXING. She has more trouble with the second guy. They replay the clip from last year when she knocked him out. It's called a draw but I think he won. He threw RENA once and also tagged her a couple of times. She beats the third guy fairly easily. She knocked him down once and that sealed the win. So RENA wins again over the three comedians. Enjoy the video but I warn you that the Chinese site Youku can be very flaky and sometimes the clip won't load properly. I did get it to work properly.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Philip Bailey

2012-01-19T08:04:00.002-05:00

Artist:Philip Bailey f/Phil Collins
Song:Easy Lover
Album:Soul Hits Of The 80's

Of course Philip Bailey is best known as the lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF). But he also had a top five pop hit with Easy Lover in 1984. It has been his only significant solo hit. He was born May 8, 1951 in Denver and joined EWF in 1972. He has been an integral part of their success. When they faded in the early 80s, Bailey signed a solo record deal with Columbia. His 1982 solo debut Continuation was produced by George Duke. It did OK but when EWF went on hiatus in 1983, Columbia wanted Bailey's next album to have more of a pop feel. So Phil Collins was hired to produce. It didn't hurt that Collins was one of the hottest pop artists in the world at the time. Easy Lover was the only song on the album that was written by Bailey and Collins. Bassist Nathan East also got a songwriting credit. Easy Lover reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album Chinese Wall reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 200. Instead of recording another pop album, Bailey turned to gospel with Word Records' Myrrh label. At the time, Word had a working agreement with Columbia. He recorded two gospel albums and then recorded with Collins again on the 1986 album Inside Out. It didn't sell. After one more gospel album in 1989, Bailey left Columbia. You can get Easy Lover on this 3CD various artists budget comp. Since then Bailey has continued with Earth, Wind & Fire and recorded solo periodically including a couple of jazz albums. He last recorded solo in 2002 but he has a four song EP coming out. Here's the video for Easy Lover by Philip Bailey featuring Phil Collins.

Ai Takahashi to return on Feb. 5 SHOOT BOXING show

2012-01-18T12:49:00.001-05:00

Ai Takahashi, MIZUKI

All the talk in SHOOT BOXING over the last few months has been about RENA and Erika Kamimura. But there is a third fighter that deserves to be in the picture. SHOOT BOXING announced today that SHOOT BOXING Women's Champion Ai Takahashi will return on the Feb. 5 Korakuen Hall show. Her opponent will be the teen kickboxer MIZUKI. Takahashi won the title from RENA last June. Then she was set for the 2012 S-Girls Cup in August. She was to face Kamimura in the first round. But then she broke her orbital bone in training and has been on the shelf since then. She's been watching recent events and is itching to get a shot at RENA or Kamimura. But her first match will be against the 17 year old MIZUKI. MIZUKI primarily works for the J-Girls kickboxing company. But she also has a 2-1 MMA record and won the JEWELS 2010 Rough Stone tournament which is supposed to spotlight newcomers. But even before MIZUKI lost to Ayaka Hamasaki on the September JEWELS show, the word was she prefers kickboxing and may step away from MMA for now. I'm not surprised as her training is karate and she may not care for the grappling part of MMA. Plus J-Girls runs plenty of shows and can keep her very busy. So it may be better for her financially. She may also be interested in the 2012 S-Girls Cup and this is a good chance to see if she likes SHOOT BOXING. We could see her in the August tournament. Takahashi has a clear experience edge and is very tall for a 56kg fighter. She may be looking to make a statement with this fight.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Chantays

2012-01-18T08:10:00.002-05:00

Artist:TheChantays
Song:Pipeline
Album:Surfin' Hits

Pipeline was one of the biggest instrumental surf music hits of the early 60s. It was also the only hit for The Chantays. Yes, they are a one hit wonder. The group were all students at Santa Ana High School in California and were inspired by the local group The Rhythm Rockers. Members were Bob Spickard and Brian Carman on guitar, Bob Welch on drums, Warren Waters on bass and Rob Marshall on piano. They were signed by manager Dale Smallins and he got them to record Pipeline in the back room of a surf shop. Pipeline was written by Carman and Spickard. It became popular locally and then the song broke nationally and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1963. Of course it's a great song and has been covered by many artists and turned up in all kinds of film and TV shows. But the truth was The Chantays were limited and subsequent recordings fell flat. They only recorded two albums. You can get Pipeline on this Rhino various artists surf music comp. Believe it or not, The Chantays are still around. Spickard, Carman and Welch still perform and have recorded occasionally. The Chantays were honoured on Hollywood's Rock Walk in 1996. So Pipeline is a classic oldie even if The Chantays only had one good song in them. Here are The Chantays performing Pipeline on The Lawrence Welk Show May 1963.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Everything But The Girl

2012-01-17T11:45:00.002-05:00

Artist:Everything But The Girl
Song:Missing
Album:The Best Of Everything But The Girl

This remix of a 1995 album track turned the British jazz influenced pop duo Everything But The Girl into dance floor sensations. And it was a top five pop hit. In 1982, singer Tracey Thorn and keyboard player Ben Watt were students at the University Of Hull. Both had solo recording deals with Cherry Red Records. Thorn was a member of the girl group Marine Girls. They decided to unite and named themselves after a local furniture store slogan. Their music was very similar to jazz influenced pop groups like Matt Bianco and The Style Council. In England, they were on Blanco y Negro Records which was an offshoot of Rough Trade and was distributed by WEA. In the US, they were on Sire Records. They did well in England including the 1988 top five hit I Don't Want To Talk About It. But they didn't sell in the US. They switched to Atlantic and were sent to Los Angeles to record the 1990 album The Language Of Love with producer Tommy LiPuma and famed jazz musicians like Stan Getz, Joe Sample, Michael Brecker and others. It didn't help as the album didn't sell. Their next two albums were not released in the US but they still did well in England. With the 1994 album Amplified Heart, Atlantic decided to make one final try to break Everything But The Girl in the US. Atlantic hired veteran DJ and mixmaster Todd Terry to remix Missing and sell it to clubs. Missing was a worldwide dance hit and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995. They continued to do well on the dance charts but not on the pop charts. By 1999, Everything But The Girl decided to take a break. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Tracey Thorn has recorded two solo albums and Ben Watt does a lot of DJ and production work. The two were married in 2009 and have three children. In Apr. 2011, Tracey suggested that they could record together again but it seems like a longshot. Watt seems very happy behind the scenes. Here's the video for Missing by Everything But The Girl.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Howard Jones

2012-01-16T08:11:00.002-05:00

Artist:Howard Jones
Song:No One Is To Blame
Album:Best Of

The synthesizer driven music of Howard Jones typified the pop music of the mid-80s. And Jones had a couple of top five hits including No One Is To Blame in 1985. He was born Feb. 23, 1955 in Southampton, England. He took piano lessons as a child. And when his family moved to Canada, he joined the group Warrior as a teen. Jones moved back to England and played in various bands while attending the Royal Northern College Of Music in Manchester. He started performing with mime Jed Hoile. Hoile did improvised dance while covered with white paint and Jones would play keyboards behind him. Jones did a showcase at the Marquee Club in London to get record labels to sign him. He got the attention of legendary BBC DJ John Peel and he signed with WEA in England and Elektra in the US in 1983. His debut single New Song was a top five hit in England and a top 30 hit in the US. His debut album Human's Lib did very well in England but not as well in the US. So with his second album Dream Into Action, Elektra wanted Jones to break through in the US. Jones got rid of Hoile and hired the female backing singers Afrodiziak featuring Caron Wheeler who would later become famous with Soul II Soul. He brought in his brother Martin to play bass. Jones got the results Elektra was looking for as Things Can Only Get Better reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. They decided to have Jones re-record No One Is To Blame and brought in Phil Collins to produce and play drums. It paid off as No One Is To Blame reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. His subsequent albums did not perform as well and he left Elektra in 1992. This 1993 comp has all his hits. Since then Howard Jones has written songs for others and recorded on his own label. He seems to have abandoned electronic keyboards and mostly plays acoustic piano these days. He last recorded in 2009. Here's the video for No One Is To Blame by Howard Jones.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy Crystal

2012-01-15T08:19:00.000-05:00

Artist:Billy Crystal
Song:You Look Mahvelous
Album:Mahvelous

Though Billy Crystal is famous as an actor and comedian, it might surprise folks that he has never recorded a stand up comedy album. But he did have a hit with his impersonation of Fernando Lamas on the song You Look Mahvelous. The 1985 album Mahvelous had the characters he was doing in 1985 on Saturday Night Live. It might also surprise folks that Crystal grew up in the jazz business. He was born Mar. 14, 1948 in New York City. His father Jack Crystal owned the jazz record store and label Commodore Records and his uncle was legendary jazz record producer Milt Gabler. So all these jazz musicians were at the house all the time. As most folks know, Crystal is a big New York Yankees fan and he wanted to be a professional baseball player. He was supposed to attend Marshall University on a baseball scholarship but the program was canceled. Crystal graduated from New York University in 1970 with a Bachelor Of Fine Arts. So he started working comedy clubs in New York. His impersonations of Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell at a 1976 roast of Ali were so good that he appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live. This led to his role in the 1978 sitcom Soap. This led to films and a short lived TV variety show. He joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1984. His impersonations were so popular that A & M Records signed him to a record deal. You Look Mahvelous reached #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV. So the album did well. But Crystal has never recorded another album and he became famous as an actor. He is also known for hosting the Oscar broadcast which he will do again this year. I don't think he will record again. Here's the video for You Look Mahvelous by Billy Crystal. This video is not on Youtube.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tune Wranglers

2012-01-14T07:59:00.000-05:00

Artist:Tune Wranglers
Song:El Rancho Grande
Album:1936-1938

You have probably heard the song El Rancho Grande in movies over the years. But I'm sure you have no idea of the origin of the song. The Tune Wranglers were pioneers in what would be called Western Swing music and they were also pioneers in what would become Tex-Mex music. The group was from San Antonio, TX and recorded in English and Spanish. The Tune Wranglers were formed in 1935 by guitarist and singer Buster Coward, banjoist Eddie Fielding and fiddler and singer Charlie Gregg. Fielding was soon replaced by Joe Barnes who used the stage name Red Brown. Supposedly they were real cowboys who played music on the side. They signed with RCA's Bluebird label and became popular on both sides of the US/Mexico border through radio broadcasts on WOAI in San Antonio. El Rancho Grande became so popular south of the border that Blurbird had them record in Spanish as Tono Hombres. Steel guitarist Tommy Duncan joined the band in 1936. They also recorded Hawaiian music. El Rancho Grande and Texas Sand were their two biggest hits and you can get them on this comp from the New Mexico based label Krazy Kat Records. The Tune Wranglers split up in 1938. The problem was there were several bands in the area playing similar music and guys would bounce back and forth between bands. That instability killed the Tune Wranglers. The value of the Tune Wranglers today is mostly historical. They were important in the formative years of Western Swing. Tommy Duncan went on to be lead singer of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. It looks like the others went on to playing sessions. Here's a video for El Rancho Grande by the Tune Wranglers.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Universals

2012-01-13T12:33:00.002-05:00

Artist:Universals
Song:New Generation
Album:Florida Funk: Funk 45s From The Alligator State

If you're a funk fan, I think you will enjoy this slice of obscure early 70s funk by the Florida group Universals. To add to the confusion, the group name was misspelled on the single release of New Generation as Universouls. It's the same group. They were from Daytona Beach, FL led by lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Alex Morgan. Other members were Lindsey Morris on keyboards, Aaron Watson on drums, Ralph Williams on flute & sax and Ralph Sullivan on bass. At first they were called The Twisters and then changed to Universals. They had a following is South Florida and recorded for small labels but were never able to break nationally. They went to Memphis to talk to Stax but were unable to work out a deal. It seems they split up after that probably around 1972. New Generation was released on two labels and the group name was misspelled Universouls both times. They weren't happy about that. The British label Jazzman Records specializes in obscure funk and soul and you can get New Generation on this various artists comp of Florida funk. Alex Morgan and Ralph Sullivan are deceased. Lindsey Morris and Aaron Watson still live in Daytona Beach and Ralph Williams lives in New York. The Universals sound pretty good. They deserved a better fate. Here's a video for New Generation by Universals.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mark Chesnutt

2012-01-12T08:21:00.002-05:00

Artist:Mark Chesnutt
Song:I'll Think Of Something
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Mark Chesnutt

Neo honky tonker Mark Chesnutt had eight number one country hits in the 90s. With one exception he didn't cross over to pop. I'll Think Of Something was his second number one hit in 1992. So he had some success but didn't quite reach the upper echelon of country music. He was born Sept. 8, 1963 in Beaumont, TX. His dad was a car salesman and sang locally. As a teen Chesnutt appeared in his dad's band. Then his dad took him to Nashville to get a record deal. Chesnutt recorded for the small Axbar label and got enough attention to earn a record deal with MCA Records. He is very good friends with country music star Tracy Byrd. Chesnutt's first #1 country hit Brother Jukebox was from his 1990 debut album Too Cold At Home. The album was certified Platinum. I'll Think Of Something was his second #1 hit and was from the 1992 album Longnecks & Short Stories. I'll Think Of Something was written by the veteran songwriting team of Bill Rice and Jerry Foster. Rice started out as a singer in the 70s but was more successful as a songwriter. I'll Think Of Something was a top ten country hit for Hank Williams Jr. in 1974. This is one of those rare occasions when the cover version is more memorable than the original. Chesnutt continued to have success with his 1993 album Almost Goodbye. But then he slipped with the 1994 album What A Way To Live. Gonna Get A Life was his sixth number one hit but the album didn't perform as well. Chesnutt continued to slide with his next two albums. But he had his final number one country hit with his cover of the Aerosmith hit I Don't Want To Miss A Thing in 1998. That crossed over to reach #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. It didn't seem to help as after one more album, Chesnutt left MCA in 2000. You can get his hits on this budget comp. After one album for Columbia, Chesnutt has recorded for indie record companies. He is currently signed with Saguaro Road Records and his latest CD Outlaw was released in 2010. Mark Chesnutt is married with three children. I think those who enjoy a neo traditional style of country music will like him. Here's the video for I'll Think Of Something by Mark Chesnutt.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lynn Anderson

2012-01-11T08:17:00.002-05:00

Artist:Lynn Anderson
Song:Rose Garden
Album:16 Biggest Hits

Lynn Anderson had five number one country music hits in the 70s. But she crossed over to the pop charts in a big way with Rose Garden in 1970. It is her signature song. She was born Sept. 26, 1947 in Grand Forks, ND and grew up in Fair Oaks, CA. Her mom Liz Anderson was a successful country music singer and songwriter. When one of Liz' songs was a hit for Merle Haggard, she signed with RCA Records and Lynn tagged along. Chart Records owner Slim Williamson heard Lynn sing and offered her a contract in 1966. She had some chart success and also toured with Lawrence Welk. She also married Glenn Sutton in 1968 and he would produce all her 70s hits. By 1969, it became clear that Lynn needed major label exposure. So she signed with Columbia in 1970. Rose Garden was her very first Columbia single and it topped the Country Singles chart and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rose Garden was written and originally recorded by Joe South in 1969. Lynn had to convince Sutton to let her record it. He thought it was a man's song. He let her record it to appease her. But Columbia head Clive Davis liked the record so much that he decided to cross it over to the pop charts. Lynn had four other number one country hits but by the late 70s she had faded and left Columbia in 1980. Other than a 1988 album for Mercury, she hasn't recorded for a major label since then. You can get all her Columbia hits on this budget comp. In 1990, she starred in the BBC drama Wreck On The Highway. She has been an equestrian since the 60s and has won a few championships over the years. Lynn divorced Sutton in 1977 and currently lives with record producer Mentor Williams (Dobie Gray's Drift Away) in Taos, NM. Here's Lynn Anderson performing Rose Garden on The Johnny Cash Show Jan. 1971.

The Artist review

2012-01-10T20:49:00.002-05:00

I guess it's been a year and a half since I have reviewed a current film on the blog. 2011 was a dismal year for film. There hasn't been anything I wanted to see until The Artist. I first saw the trailer when it premiered at Cannes in May. It's a tribute to a time when the Hollywood studios were transitioning from silent films to talking films. Some actors were unable to make that transition. Emil Jannings won a Best Actor Oscar in 1928 and then went home to Germany and never made another film in Hollywood. Supposedly John Gilbert's voice was so nasal that the studios wouldn't hire him anymore. In The Artist, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent film star similar to Douglas Fairbanks. His studio head Al Zimmer (John Goodman) shows him a film clip with sound and Valentin thinks it's a passing fad. Meanwhile, Valentin meets aspiring actress Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) and starts to see her. He's married but is having marital problems. While Peppy climbs the Hollywood ladder to stardom, Valentin's attempt to finance his own film is a dismal failure and he begins to drink heavily. His wife leaves him and he has to auction all his possessions. If that reminds you of A Star Is Born, you're right on target. It almost ends like A Star Is Born when Valentin almost kills himself in a fire. But Peppy nurses him back to health and then gets an idea about how to get Valentin his stardom back. She pitches the idea to Zimmer. As some of you may be aware, I am a huge classic film fan. It seems all I do is watch TCM. And I love silent films. But I am aware that many younger fans have never seen a silent film or a black and white film. So I loved this film but I'm not sure others would enjoy it. French director Michel Hazanavicius wrote and directed the film and there's no question that doing a mostly silent film is a big risk. But it should get some awards season buzz that should help the film financially. Hazanavicius has been directing in France for over a decade. His OSS spy spoof films were very popular there. And Jean Dujardin was the star of those films. Because he doesn't speak in the film, Dujardin depends a lot on facial expressions and body movement. He has excellent timing. His movements remind me of Cary Grant. Berenice Bejo was born in Argentina but she is married to Hazanavicius. She's very appealing playing against Dujardin. John Goodman is great as the studio head and James Cromwell is great as Valentin's ridiculously loyal servant Clifton. But the other big star of the film is Uggie who is just billed as The Dog. He reminds me of Asta from The Thin Man. I understand that Uggie is currently promoting The Artist in England. The only negative is I thought the ending was a little flat. I enjoyed the references to other films but I don't know if others would like that. If you have an open mind to something different. you might like The Artist. Check out the trailer.