Monday, December 27, 2010

Retro: Kimmer

Retro: Kimmer

Link to Retro: Kimmer

HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES: BERNIE WILSON RIP

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 02:23 PM PST



PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS ANNOUNCES PASSING OF HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES MEMBER BERNIE WILSON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 27, 2010

PHILADELPHIA – Bernie Wilson, baritone vocalist in the classic lineup of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, died early yesterday from undisclosed medical complications at Kresson View Center in Voorhees, NJ, Philadelphia International Records has announced.



Wilson joined Melvin, Teddy Pendergrass, Lawrence Brown and Lloyd Parks in the world-renowned lineup that was signed to Philadelphia International Records in 1972, the beginning of a four-year string of hits for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes that were integral in defining the Sound of Philadelphia.



They became one of the most popular groups in R&B during that era, with recordings that ranged from sweeping, extended proto-disco dance tracks to silky, smoldering ballads, all wrapped up in the lushly orchestrated production that had become the legendary signature of Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff.

The group made their chart debut with "I Miss You," then continued with a Grammy nomination for their first #1 R&B hit, "If You Don't Know Me By Now." More #1 hits followed, with "The Love I Lost," and "Wake Up Everybody." Other Blues Notes classics during that time include "Bad Luck" (#4 R&B; #1 Dance) and "Don't Leave Me This Way."

The passing of Wilson leaves Lloyd Parks as the sole surviving member of the classic lineup of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Contact:

Randy Alexander / Randex Communications

randex@randexpr.com

TEENA MARIE RIP

Posted: 27 Dec 2010 07:57 AM PST



Sad news last night. Teena Marie passed away suddenly and the authorities are investigating the cause behind her death. Teena was one of my favorite voices of the 80's. She really had such a powerful voice. Teena Marie found airplay on the urban radio stations more than top 40. Luckily for me I worked in Heidi's Salon in Ann Arbor back then and I was working when I first heard my favorite Teena Marie song... Casanova Brown. Beautiful woman beautiful voice. RIP Teena.



LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B singer and songwriter Teena Marie, best known for the hit 1980s singles "Lovergirl" and "Ooo La La La," died at her home in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to news reports. She was 54.

The cause of death was not known, and a spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. Her friend, percussionist Sheila E, reported on Twitter that Teena Marie had a history of seizures.


R&B singer Teena Marie dies at 54

Relatives found Teena's body Sunday morning at her home. Relatives told TMZ that Teena seemed fine Saturday when she spent Christmas with her brother.

Teena Marie, whose real name was Mary Brockert, was one of the rare white performers to enjoy crossover success on America's black music charts.



A protégée of funk singer Rick James, she signed with Motown Records in 1975 and released her first album four years later. That album, which was mostly written by James, led fans to believe that Teena Marie was black since it did not feature a picture of her. Her duet with James on "I'm a Sucker For You" peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Black Singles chart.

"I've always been accepted by the black community and I think that's a beautiful thing," Teena Marie told Jet magazine in 2006.

She released 13 albums up to 2009's "Conga Square," on which she paid tribute to jazz influences, such as Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday.

[New post] The Flash races 'Beyond the Speed of Life'!

The Flash races 'Beyond the Speed of Life'!

dailypop | December 27, 2010 at 10:49 pm | Tags: the flash dc comics justice league | Categories: DC Comics | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2de



The Flash - 'Beyond the Speed of Life'By Cary Bates and Irv Novick
Published 1971

While I read mainly Marvel Comics, I'm a big fan of the scarlet speedster. The Flash not only had one of the weirdest rogue's gallery (a dude who uses mirrors? a psychic gorilla? an Aussie throwing deadly boomerangs?), he also stars in the most absurd adventures. It's common though that most of the Flash's outlandish stories were published in the 60's, but this one disproves that statement entirely as it could be the strangest one I have ever read.

The story opens with Barry Allen using his super speed to escape kissing his wife goodbye before changing into the Flash in order to follow a compulsive hunch. The crooks Captain Boomerang and the Trickster are also compelled to a specific location where they murder the Flash by garotting him with a rope as the Justice Leaguer races into their trap. It soon becomes apparent that all of this was the doing of the evil Gorilla Grodd, who used his massive intellect to mentally control the actions of all three men.

Why didn't Gorilla Grodd just kill the Flash? Because he has failed so many times now that he is gun shy and fears failure. What a convoluted way to kill your enemy.

But of course the comic doesn't end there. The Flash awakens to find that he has become something of a ghost and has traveled beyond the Speed of Life in order to assist a kind of galactic policeman called the Sentinel. The Sentinel is faced with an impossible task, to stop the Devourer from destroying the universe. Most of the issue takes place in a psychedelic realm where objects and creatures are seen as the mind translates them rather than as they really are. For instance, the Flash sees the Devourer as a giant rat eating at the stuff of the universe. He then sees the Devourer as a jet of fire, a dinosaur, a jackhammer, etc.

Knowing that his actions will have unpredictable effects on the Devourer, the Flash starts performing random speed tricks that for some reason hurt the Devourer, causing it to appear as the Flash's wife begging for mercy. Rather than succumb to the illusion, the Flash performs faster and faster, finally driving the Devourer (as represented by a larger than life illusionary image of the Flash's wife) to a wreck of tears. Saving the universe from destruction, the Flash manages to get himself brought back to life only to find that his enemies are squabbling over his corpse, still warm from their contrived murder attempt.

As if reading a comic in which the hero is wrenched from death into a different plane of existence wasn't weird enough, seeing the Flash cause an image of his wife pain by flipping in circles... which saves the day... tops it.

This was published in the early seventies when DC released their monthly books as oversized affairs sporting the claim 'still only 25 cents', so most of the mega-sized issue is devoted to reprints or back-up stories such as the Kid Flash special. This means that the reader was treated to an Elongated Man adventure courtesy of John Broomer and Carmine Infantino. I was also entertained by the many letters to the editor from Mike Barr and Martin Pasko (both comic professionals).

As a blogger and collector, I tend to focus mainly on new and upcoming comics, but whenever I delve into the back issue bins it's worth the trip.

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