45 Number Forty-Eight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPAj19vHPNc

Did the Stones ever cover this? I hear Mick every time. Never was a big J.Geils fan. However, they did the one thing I always thought I would do if I was ever in a successful rockin' roll outfit.

I saw them at the Capital Center in Landover MD in the early eighties. I think it was the "Centerfold" tour. They did two encores. The lights came up and everyone started to head out of the arena. All of sudden they are back on stage and Peter Wolf yells "Where the F--k are you going?!" The lights go out and they launch into a couple more songs. Nice.

45 Number Forty-Seven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHejhUFFX7w

Cool to think they were doing this stuff in 1968. Great video. They got the drum set way out in the front, nice. I am glad that a visual record of this was captured.

45 Number Forty-Six

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNnAvTTaJjM

I love the vibe of this band. I remember when I first heard their music it was so unlike anything I had ever heard. I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was kind of artsy, which was not my pop music. I often didn't know what they were singing about. But with such a tight groove, soul grabbing rhythms, and quirky lyrics, I had no choice but to go with it.

On 10-10-83, in a gym at George Washington University, I witnessed an unforgettable performance. I remember we were standing around at show time looking at an empty stage, and wondering what the hell was going on. Had the band been a no-show? Was there going to be a delay? Then the lights go out, and David Byrne walks out with a boom box and acoustic guitar. He turns on the boom box and the rhythm starts. He straps on the guitar and begins to strike the strings. He delivers a version of Psycho Killer that is killer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pCZ5E5tn4I , check it out, still killer).

Then with each new song a new element or band member is added to the stage. Right before our eyes the the show was constructed. It was amazing. We talked about it for months. Then within a year the movie Stopping Making Sense came out, and we realized what we had witnessed. The beginnings of what would become their live performance masterpiece. I believe the movie was filmed in LA, some months after the show I saw.

My ticket for that show had been a "frontstage" pass sticker that they gave out to the student helpers. I don't even remember how I got it, as I was no helper. But I wore it on the butt pocket of my jeans. When I got home I cut the pocket of my pants, and hung the whole thing on my wall. I still have it to this day. Here it is scanned in for you.
Stop Making Sense is famous for another reason as well. Early in our relationship, my wife and I scooted out of dinner party early to go see it at a theater.

45 Number 45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrbNeOEG0GY

This one reminds me of why I like music so much. Takes me back to the mid seventies, listening to WDOS on the AM dial, and singing along. I love singing along, especially in the car. It's why I keep trying to play guitar. So I can sing along. Hopefully, not while I am driving.

This picture sleeve is a great example of the album art I loved from this band. Makes you smile. I also just liked how the guys in OMD looked on their album covers. Like freaky musicians. A favourite cover and picture of the band are below.

(This is not the band.)

45 Number Forty-Four

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1tTN-b5KHg

I had forgotten how good this video was. Never was a Genesis fan. But I have enjoyed Gabriel's solo hits. They tend to be a bit slick and over produced, but his tunes are more palatable than the crap his bandmate Phil Collins has done.

45 Number Forty-Three

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2BavhwpIJg

I have had this 45 since1975, when I was fourteen years old. Probably bought it at some department store like FBC or Jamesway. I remember buying 45s way before I ever bought an album. We had a little portable record player. I have the other 10cc hit on 45 from the same time period as well "The Things We Do For Love." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgptvsHHYK4&feature=related . But then I moved up in the world and bought their next album, Bloody Tourists. At the time I thought this song from that album was the bomb; "Dreadlock Holiday" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGLsAkeRd84 . Man, look at this video. Yikes! These guys were butchering reggae way before the Police.

45 Number Forty-Two

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhpFibJKzPo

Givin' it one more little Squeeze. If you are a fan, check out this link. It is a live version of the song (no lip sync) from 1979 on The Old Grey Whistle Test TV show. It features an intro from Jools Holland, and then the performance. Check out Jools with the hat and big stogie.

Red vinyl. Some of the great things about record collecting; cover art, liner notes, picture discs, shaped vinyl, and colored plastic. A couple of Christmases ago I was searching for a gift idea for my kids to give my wife. I always like to try to think of something they can make. I stumbled across cooking vinyl records and making objects out of them. So I looked through my stacks, picked out some colored and black discs, and we burned some. We made a couple of bracelets, hair clips, and some bowls. Just to make some of my record collecting friends gasp. Here is a picture of the pink vinyl, Rolling Stones, 12 inch single, "Miss You” shaped into a bowl.