Friday, May 20, 2011

Retro: Kimmer

SCOTT MORGAN: FULL OF FIRE
TRACY CHAPMAN: GIVE ME ONE REASON/FAST CAR
THE LOOK OF LOVE... DUSTY SPRINGFIELD/BRASIL '66
RETROKIMMER: THE INCOMPARABLE DIONNE WARWICK

Posted: 20 May 2011 01:42 PM PDT

Scott Morgan vocals/rhythm guitar
John Burke drums
Manny Alvarez lead guitar
Jubei Hughes Bass/vocals

From Scott:
Full of Fire was originally covered by Al Green on his Best Of Al Green album. FOF was written by M Hodges W Mitchell and Al Green.

We aleady knew Al Green because The Rationals backed him up at the Roostertail Supper Club in Detroit. He showed up at one of the Rationals shows and asked to sit in. I told him that we like your music but we don't know how to play it. Al suggested we do some standard R&B tunes. So we did.

Much later I bought the single Full of Fire when it came out. So my band friends wanted to do an Al Green song and I said I got one, Full of Fire.

We went to Los Angeles and then on to the Brothers Records/Studio to record. We were there for a couple of days and recorded 2 songs. Radio Hollywood and Pop Poppies. So while we were there a guy told us that we were actually in the Beach Boys Rehearsal Studio in Santa Monica. They did their demos there. After we finished we went back home.

A few months later we went back to LA and recorded Full of Fire and Endless Summer which was never released. Here is our version of Full of Fire.

I really liked Al's version of this song but we changed it a little. We stripped it down to the basic song. Took all the frills out of it and made it straight ahead.

Al Green's version

TRACY CHAPMAN: GIVE ME ONE REASON/FAST CAR

Posted: 20 May 2011 04:38 AM PDT

Oh how I love love "Give Me One Reason" Check out the lyrics. I first heard this song while I was driving. My car turned itself into the nearest record shop. Tracy Chapman burst on the scene with that smoky voice and her imagery is undeniable.

Give me one reason to stay here and I'll turn right back around
Give me one reason to stay here and I'll turn right back around
Because I don't want leave you lonely
But you got to make me change my mind
Baby I got your number and I know that you got mine
But you know that I called you I called too many times
You can call me baby you can call me anytime
But you got to call me

Give me one reason to stay here - and I'll turn right back around
Give me one reason to stay here - and I'll turn right back around
Because I don't want leave you lonely
But you got to make me change my mind

I don't want no one to squeeze me - they might take away my life
I don't want no one to squeeze me - they might take away my life
I just want someone to hold me and rock me through the night

This youthful heart can love you and give you what you need
This youthful heart can love you and give you what you need
But I'm too old to go chasing you around
Wasting my precious energy

Give me one reason to stay here - and I'll turn right back around
Give me one reason to stay here - and I'll turn right back around
Because I don't want leave you lonely
But you got to make me change my mind

Baby just give me one reason - Give me just one reason why
Baby just give me one reason - Give me just one reason why I should stay
Because I told you that I loved you
And there ain't no more to say

Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.

Tracy Chapman's Website

You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way

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THE LOOK OF LOVE... DUSTY SPRINGFIELD/BRASIL '66

Posted: 20 May 2011 04:15 AM PDT

One of my absolute favorite 1960's songs is "The Look of Love". "The Look of Love" was a pop song composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by Dusty Springfield, and which appeared in the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale.

The music was written by Burt Bacharach, and was originally intended to be an instrumental. But later Hal David added the lyrics, and the song was published in 1967. According to Bacharach, the melody was inspired by watching Ursula Andress in an early cut of the film.

Sérgio Mendes' hit rendition on the Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 album Look Around reached #4 on the pop charts after their performance in the Academy Awards telecast in March 1968. The lead vocal on this single was handled by Janis Hansen, not Lani Hall, a rarity in the early Brasil '66 canon.

Dusty Springfield

My favorite version is Sergio Mendes/Brasil '66. It is more up tempo and I like the percussion so much. It adds spice. Dusty Springfield's cover is totally pop iconic for the 1960's. Dusty is my favorite of all the British pop singers.

RETROKIMMER: THE INCOMPARABLE DIONNE WARWICK

Posted: 20 May 2011 03:25 AM PDT

To me the best talent to come out of the 1960's was Miss Dionne Warwick. Was there ever another signature woman's voice? Dionne's voice connects right to my soul. Always has. She completely envelopes every lyric. Dionne becomes the song not just performs it. I loved her even in the age of rock I wore out at least 4 copies of her greatest hits. Today it dawns on me that I need to get another copy.. Legendary becomes Miss Dionne Warwick...

My top three favorite Dionne Warwick/Bacharach/David songs are below

The Theme from the Valley of the Dolls talks about a woman who has lost her way. But finds a way to free herself from the madness.

Message to Michael has always always reminded of one of my true loves. No matter where I was in the world Michael was always there. Sadly I lost him at a young age but he is in my heart always.

Promises Promises has always meant a lot to me. When you have finally had enough empty promises and move on. The woman is strong and not passive. She does get the nerve and walks out. She looks at herself and is proud.

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[New post] Hulk #33 -a review by Zeno

Hulk #33 -a review by Zeno

dailypop | May 20, 2011 at 10:23 pm | Tags: hulk parker hardman, red hulk ross | Categories: Hulk | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2DY

Hulk 33

Hulk #33 - variant by Ed McGuinness

By Zeno

The 3 plus years since the start of the Red Hulk's series have been a interesting journey. The series started out as another Jeph Loeb mystery in style of some of the his other works became a story that was dragged out for far too long. Fans were certain of the identity of the Red Hulk very early but Marvel chose to drag the mystery out for over two years. Reaction to the series first 24 issues showed disappointment both with Loeb's story and the Red Hulk character himself.

Starting with issue 25, Jeff Parker replaced Loeb as the new writer of the series. He had already tried to salvage the plot and continuity problems with the series nine months earlier in the four part Red Hulk mini series, and he did a good with the difficult task he was given. His challenge now is to make the ongoing series character interesting to readers. In this he has had some success. His plotting is far tighter than Loeb's, and he does not drag his stories out with unnecessary action or padding.

Issues 25-29 were interesting. They served as sort of epilogue to last summer's Fall of the Hulks tie-in. The odd things about the first story arc was that despite a interesting plot, the Red Hulk was still not a character I liked.

Issue 30 was a light whimsical issue not to meant to be taken seriously. Ed McGuinness came back as artist to provide his own touch.

Now with 30.1-33, we have the final issue to another story arc. In this new story, a role reversal has taken place. General Ross, who is the Red Hulk, now finds himself on the run from Air Force General Fortean, a former solider taught by Ross. General Fortean, like most of the public, is unaware that Ross is really the Red Hulk. In fact he believes the Red Hulk murdered Ross and is out for revenge against him.

To add to this another new villain was created, the cyborg called Zero/One. She was created from the incident in issue 25, Parker's first issue as writer. Red Hulk has also made a friend with one of the life model decoy robots who has now become a regular character. Zero/One has her plans for conquest and also wants Red Hulk out of the way. The last few issues have jumped between these two plots. Plus the Omegex, a planet-destroying robot, similar the Doomsday Machine in the original Star Trek, is coming to Earth.

While all of this is interesting, I wonder if Parker is maybe trying to do too much at one time. Parker has created several new characters and he deserves credit for that. But there has not been enough time to really develop any of the personalities of any of these new creations. The story keeps jumping between subplots where time for character could have been used.

The other problem is with General Fortean. How long can this go on until he finds out that Ross is the Red Hulk? Second, if the Red Hulk is now working under Steve Rogers and the United States, someone would and should try to get the truth out to the General that the man he thinks is dead was not killed at all. I had hoped that by the end of this issue Parker would have resolved this, but the issue ends with Fortean still unaware that Ross and the Red Hulk are one and the same. Plus the Zero/One subplot has not advanced much further. We still not do not know much of her motivations. Yes, the Red Hulk defeats her plot but nothing has really changed. In fact things with the expectation of one important development dealing with the Red Hulk's transformation, things have not changed that much since the start of this story.

Jeff Parkers does have some good moments in this issue. The part where the Red Hulk finds the old planes and compares the relics to his own feelings about where his life as a general had went is a good moment. The story needed more scenes like this. Parker has tried to make the reader see this character in a more sympathetic light. Unfortunately, he has inherited a lot of back story that makes this difficult, as the Red Hulk Ross did questionable things for what he thought was the good of his country. And as General Ross in the Hulk's own title, he has often been treated as a villain himself.

If Parker wants to make him a more likable character he will have deal with some of this.

If we could see his point of view and understand why he chose to do what he did, particularly in working with the bad guys to become the Red Hulk then that help make him more understandable as character. This is something I hope Parker chooses to explore. Perhaps sometime down the line he could even go into the character's personal history as Bill Mantlo tried before.

The series is still much better than it was under Loeb but, there is room for improvement.

B-

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[New post] Doctor Who and The Moonbase

Doctor Who and The Moonbase

dailypop | May 20, 2011 at 8:51 am | Tags: doctor who troughton cybermen | Categories: Doctor Who- 2nd Doctor | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2Cz

Doctor Who and The Moonbase

"You're supposed to be so advanced, yet here you are taking your revenge like children!"
Story 033
Written by Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler
Transmitted 11 February - 4 March 1967
In the 21st Century, the human race has established a moonbase to control the weather on the Earth. Having forgotten the threat that the Cybermen once posed, they are vulnerable to invasion from the silver giants. When the Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie arrive by accident, they are knee-deep in a systematic attack on the international lunar installation.

The second TV Cybermen story, Moonbase is a cracking great adventure. Unfortunately, episodes 1 and 3 of this four parter are missing, requiring anyone interested in this story to watch a reconstruction from Loose Canons, read the Target novelization or listen to the audio-book. The reunion of Cybermen creators Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler sees the duo has sharpened their writing skills, delivering a more exciting story improving on their already impressive Tenth Planet the year before.

Doctor Who - Moonbase by Daryl Joyce

In their first appearance, the Cybermen were shown as being cold calculating cyborgs. Possessing great strength and armed with a deadly weapon harnessed to their chests, the early Cybermen came from the planet Mondas to drain the life from the planet Earth. While established as cyborgs, the costumes of the first Cybermen appeared hauntingly human-like.

Their cloth-covered faces betrayed a facial structure and their exposed hands established that at least parts of them were still flesh and blood. This human-like quality made them all the more terrifying as monsters as their actions denied their nature. It has often been stated that the Cybermen are devoid of emotion which has never stood up to scrutiny in my opinion. They are certainly unrestrained by compassion and empathy, but this has created a brutally aggressive personality rather than the cold, robotic personality that mythology would have us accept.

In their second appearance, the Cybermen are much less humanoid, their entire forms covered in plastic and metal. A radically different design, this version is far more solid and impressive on screen. However, it is in the Moonbase that we get a glimpse of their cunning. Initially, the base is under siege without knowing it, the commander believing it to be a simply viral outbreak. Nonetheless, the Doctor, Ben and Polly suspect that the Cybermen are behind the virus, using it as a weapon to weaken the base's crew. The commander scoffs at the notion of Cybermen, stating that they were wiped out 'long ago' (presumably in their attack in 1984). Soon the Doctor's suspicions bear bitter fruit and the Cybermen are revealed as the real enemy. By using mind control as well as viral warfare tactics, their attack on the moonbase is overwhelming. They have almost won without firing a shot.

The TARDIS crew was rather large at this time, including the new character of Jamie McCrimmon (first appearing in the Highlanders). As Jamie was added so late in the game, many of the scripts for the series were not constructed with him in mind. It's very disappointing to see what would become a beloved companion such as Jamie wasted in scenes which feature him coming in and out of consciousness, glimpsing what he believes to be the specter of death coming for him as a Cybermen breaks into the sick bay. Even when he is given very little to work with, however, Frazier Hines is outstanding. His confusion and fear surrounding their arrival on the moon is a nice touch. Jamie is obviously horrified by their ability to arrive on such an unearthly land, yet he tries to lighten the mood, 'perhaps we'll see the man in the moon.' Classic.

Ben and Polly are hardly recognized by fans, as most of their adventures are lost to the BBC's junking scandal. It's unfair as the more I explore the novelizations and audio files of these lost stories, they prove to be an enjoyable pair. Polly's swinging sixties 'dutchess' character is very unique in that the actress Aneke Wills decided early on to make her a screamer rather than a brave and noble hero. Likewise, actor Michael Craze played the part of Ben as a tough cockney who often jarred with Polly but came to respect her spunk. In this particular story, we even see Polly concoct a weapon to defeat the Cybermen... possibly the most sadistic method to date; melting their lungs with acid.

Along with a cracking script by Davis and Pedler, The Moonbase also boasts some outstanding visual design. The visual effects are great and show an inclination to explore the boundaries of the television medium, something that is perhaps most strongly felt in these 60's adventures. Keeping in mind the budgetary constraints and the limitations of the studio and bulky cameras, the lunar scenes are very impressive and establish the mood immediately. Speaking of mood, the musical score is timeless. This was back in the days when music concrete had a heavy influence on Doctor Who and the series featured some of the spookiest musical scores ever heard. The sounds provided by Brain Hodgson are also top notch, including the newly modulated Cybermen voices.

watch?v=DR530VgXArU

The Moonbase followed a mish-mash of successes and failures for the fourth series. Power of the Daleks re-introduced viewers to the Daleks in one of their most well-written scripts. Highlanders was a traditional historical romp while The Underwater Menace was a pulpy science fiction story more at home in the days of the Columbia Pictures serials of the early days of film. As such, Moonbase viewed from a modern perspective is very traditional Doctor Who. The Doctor and his companions arrive in the middle of danger, are suspected as the cause of trouble, work their way into being trusted and ultimately defeat the monster trying to get at the guest cast. At the time, this approach was fairly new and it informed the formula of the program all the way to the current BBC Wales series.

As monsters, the Cybermen are very impressive this time around. Their silent attacks on the sick bay remains one of my favorite moments of all their TV material. In my mind, I imagined that the Cybermen were taking bodies for raw material as their own organic organs and limbs would need some replacing. One thing is for sure, the abducted humans are put to use by the Cybermen to further their mission. The mind-controlled humans are horrifying on screen and would appear throughout their 60's appearances. Another iconic moment is when the army of Cybermen conduct their march across the lunar surface, unhindered by the low gravity. The black and white photography greatly helps the presentation, causing the monsters to appear as ghostly soldiers against the black backdrop.

I have noted my love affair with the Cybermen in previous articles and also pointed out that they rarely got a good innings on screen. This is an exception. Deadly and rueful, their vendetta against the human race is in full effect here. They even gloat over the hapless commander's inability to guess how the moonbase was compromised by chuckling, 'Clever... clever... clever.'

Patrick Troughton is still in his early days of playing the Doctor, but you'd never guess that by watching him here. His determination to fight 'the evils of the universe' is presented in what one would expect to be a common scene in every Doctor Who adventure, yet it is unique here. Troughton even gets to perform a strange scene with himself as he thinks aloud and talks back to his thoughts regarding the weakness of the Cybermen to intense sound and gravity. It's weird, sure, but it's also memorable.

One of the classic Doctor Who stories from its era, The Moonbase was a landmark for what was to come. I had pointed out that two of the four episodes are missing, requiring a great deal of patience from fans left to listen to an audio CD or watch grainy stills accompanying the soundtrack. Even so, it is a fantastic story worthy of a look from the devoted fan.

The remaining episodes of the Moonbase are included as part of the Lost in Time box set (available at criminally discounted prices via amazon) which I highly recommend. Also, you may want to seek out the VHS release Cybermen: The Early Years hosted by Colin Baker which analyzes their appearances in the 1960's complete with interviews from the creators, cast and crew from those early days of the program. If you are like me, the novelization is also a nice way to experience the story. The Target book range was a major part of the fan experience from the 1980's and I get more than a little nostalgic when I revisit them. Additionally, the BBC audio CD is available and uses a wonderfully touched-up audio track.

Doctor Who - Lost in Time Collection of Rare Episodes

Doctor Who - Cybermen, The Early Years

Doctor Who: The Moonbase

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[New post] Doctor Who Big Finish- Minuet in Hell

Doctor Who Big Finish- Minuet in Hell

dailypop | May 20, 2011 at 6:52 am | Tags: bbc big finish audio doctor who, paul mcgann doctor who | Categories: Big Finish | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2Dj

Minuet in Hell

"...Britain turns out lots of weird things."

Story 19
Written by: Alan W. Lear with Gary Russell
Released: April 2001

The final story of Paul McGann's first series sees the Eighth Doctor united with one of the most (if not the most) beloved of companions, Alistaire Lethbridge-Stewart. The story sees much of McGann's scenes set in an insane asylum so the meeting is rather brief in the end. Likewise, many of the late Nicholas Courtney's scenes are spent speaking his emails as he types them into a PC while a lilting flute plays a jaunty tune. It's maddening. The setting of Minuet in Hell, is the fictional 51st state of America, Malebolgia, a place apparently filled with cartoon characters including the great Yosemite Sam, taking time out from chasing his foe, the elusive Bugs Bunny.

The plot is just insane, if you'll excuse the term.

It involves two threads that are equally absurd; an ambitious and offensive televangelist turned politician, Brigham Dashwood and the Doctor losing his memory and mind, ending up an asylum. In addition to his political ambitions, Dashwood also runs an insane asylum where a state of the art technique is developed to adjust the mental health of the inmates. The process is dangerous enough to bring Lethbridge-Stewart out of retirement as an agent of U.N.I.T. While investigating the Dashwood Institute, the Lethbridge-Stewart meets an old friend with a new face, the Doctor. However, the Doctor has lost his memory and thinks himself to be a mentally deranged vagrant. His personality has somehow been transplanted into another person, adding to the Doctor's confusion.

The manner in which the story presents mentally deranged people is almost as offensive as the portrayal of Southerners. The asylum is the usual scary nightmarish setting where loonies bark at the moon and are treated like animals because they're somehow subhuman. Somehow I expect a more sophisticated view on mental illness from Doctor Who.

The arrival of a camp devil-like creature almost seems perfectly reasonable after all the goofy characters and over-the-top situations. Additionally, the manners and speech patterns of the inhabitants of Malebolgia sound suspiciously from the 1950's rather than the 21st Century when this story is meant to take place. I'm not sure if this was an intentional stylistic decision or if it's just a misconception of Americans.

While Dashwood vies for power and his evil associate Dr Dale Pargeter runs both the asylum and the harem of the Hellfire Club (the Lovely Little Satin Bottoms) where the Doctor's companion Charley has found herself in a tight spot. The Hellfire Club angle is played out in just as cartoony a manner at the rest of the story in Minuet in Hell and never feels anything more to me than a dirty joke. As you can see, several things about this story rankled my nerves from the corny voices to the offensive caricatures and the Doctor struggling to put his mind back together, a plot that should have been exciting but ended up feeling very over the top. The revelation that Becky Lee was a witch-hunter from the Order of Saint Peter was just the nail in the coffin for me. It's all just far too silly.

Occasionally, the limitations of the Big Finish Productions show through and this is unfortunately a prime example. The background voices are often absurdly canned along with the music. The attempt to convey a large room of girls aghast at their indoctrination fails to make an impression, making the scene come off as silly. Likewise, the scenes in the Malebolgia fairground feels fake somehow, perhaps due to the strained American voices and the afore-mentioned Yosemite Sam-sound-alike, Senator Waldo Pickering.

It's unfortunate that Minuet in Hell is so crass as this story does feature a fantastic performance by Nicholas Briggs (the voice of the Daleks and Cybermen in the new Doctor Who series).His delusional Gideon Crane is a charming and beguiling creation that sadly proves to be a dead end as characters go, when it is revealed how he ended up with the Doctor's mind.

So far I have been overjoyed by Paul McGann as the Eight Doctor in the Big Finish series, thankful to find that he makes a worthy addition to the annals of classic Doctor Who. The only problem is that when a bad story such as this one comes along, it hurts what little dignity the Eighth Doctor has (in this format, I'm unfamiliar with the EDA line of novels).

It was of course lovely to hear Nic Courtney again, but I prefer his meeting with the Sixth Doctor in The Spectre of Lanyon Moor (another very goofy adventure involving demons that worked far better for me).

Doctor Who – Minuet in Hell can be purchased at local retailers such as Mike's Comics and online from Big Finish.