The Horse is Coming!

W-H-Y N-O-T

I gotta say that, I say, "I gotta say" a lot. But I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to
Tammy Wynette, Tragic Country Queen by Jimmy McDonough, to drop any day now. McDonough, if you remember, also penned Neil Young's biography, Shakey.
20 years ago, you wouldn't have gotten more than a "Yeah, so?" outta me. And I probably would've uttered the same about Dolly and Porter Wagoner. And I really don't have any explanation for why I'm now yearnin for the dixie dirt. But with George and Tammy, you just know they're packin some heat, together AND apart. I like my country with cajones and this should have 'em in spades.
I gotta say...

Above Ground: The Paisley Side Of L.A.

Neil took slow, deliberate steps, with his hands clasped behind his back, past each guitar on what seemed like an eternal guitar rack. Like an army drill Sargent provoking a smirk from a new recruit. Someone from the back, possibly Poncho or maybe Nils jokingly prods;
"How bout the 12-string Rick, whens the last time you strapped on one of those?"
It was enough for him to pause for maybe 5, er10 ticks on the clock, but not long enough for serious consideration. Another step...two steps maybe, and his furry brow lifted just enough for his forehead wrinkles to co-mingle. I'd seen this before. It was subtle but I picked up on it.
There, above and to the left, was a red, 12 string Gretsch. A Fatty. Probably Mike Nesmith's.
He grabs it and stoops down to plug into a tweed Fender Twin and cranks up the jangly dial to just above 6 before the power light is ever ablaze. Funny/weird things, almost sounds like a small dose of Middle Eastern Trippy start eminatin. Outta nowhere, he throws his head back in what looks like some form of euphoric transformation, and begins calling out random Pink Floyd covers as the sloppy groove-masters known as Crazy Horse explode.

That's Rain Parade as I see em and as they've often been described. You could also add the ingredient, British Invasion, and still not be disappointed. They were tossed into the early 80s movement, along with The Bangles, and The Three O'Clock among others, known as The Paisley Underground. If you get a chance, check out "You Are My Friend."

In the 90's, I too belonged to a movement. Known as the "Whatever it is you're doin Pal, it ain't happenin for us" movement. Belonging, it's a wonderful thing.

Of the four of you who read this, one of you may may be curious as to why I chose an image of Susanna Hoffs for a post honoring the Rain Parade? Well...why indeed?

credits:
forum.blu-ray.com
allmusic.com
sa-wa-ro.com

The Lonely Surfer

I ain't but barely scrapin the surface here. These are just a few of his songwriting, production and arrangement credits: "Needles and Pins" for Jackie DeShannon, orchestrated and arranged many songs with Phil Spector, notably Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High", works with L.A.'s Wrecking Crew, keyboards on "Paint It Black","Let's Spend The Night Together", "Ruby Tuesday" and the choral arrangement on "You Can't Always Get What You Want", Production credits along with David Briggs on Neil Young's self titled debut, arranging the London Symphony Orchestra on Harvest's "A Man Needs A Maid" and keyboard work for Crazy Horse, with and without Neil.

Notable film score composition credits: Performance, The Exorcist, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Heroes, Blue Collar, Hardcore, When You Comin Back Red Ryder?, Personal Best, Cannery Row, An Officer And A Gentleman, Breathless, The Razor's Edge, Star Man, Stripper, 9 1/2 Weeks, Stand By Me, Revenge, Mermaids, Indian Runner and The Crossing Guard.



Whoa, my writing hand just cramped up. Why anybody hasn't made a film on the late Jack Nitzche is unforgiveable. It would have to be done in installments much like The Godfather. And much like The Godfather, it would be dark.
This excerpt is nicked from Crawdaddy Magazine, November '74. It pretty well captures Nitzche's contempt for the major record labels.

"Record executives really don't care about the music-they care about 'numbers' " aserts Nitzche.
"They refer to the music as 'product' and the only thing that matters with product is numbers-big sales. Record companies are acounting firms"
So who does this surly studio musician think he is - biting the hand that feeds him! Scoffing at Hollywood's tinsel culture just when camp afficionados and Peter Bogdanovich have proclaimed it art. A kvetch like this the business can do without. Stylish Warner Brothers execs sporting aviator shades and cuffed baggies may assert their uniqueness by proudly displaying Thoreau posters on their office walls, but this Nitzche isn't just marching to a different drummer - he's out of tune with the whole band.
Why not pull the plug on him?
The trouble is, Jack Nitzche knows too much. He arranged everything from "He's A Rebel" to "River Deep" for the legendary Phil Spector. He started banging back-up piano for the Rolling Stones when they were a bad boy, British blues band. He's played with everybody from Elvis to Neil Young. After a point, rock-n-roll held no mystery for him so he ventured into film. Performance, a curious cult film Nitzche scored in 1969 was proclaimed the best integration of music and moving images ever, by golden boy Bill Friedkin.
Nitzche is familiar with all the nuts and bolts in the Hollywood Dream Factory. He's kept around because he knows how it all works - not because of his enthusiasm for management."

I wonder if Jack Nitzche ever knew Merle Haggard. Seems like they could've been good friends - or compatriots, even allies.


Did I mention Jack Nitzche grew up in Newaygo, Michigan? Unfortunatley, that association hasn't rubbed off either.

April 22, 1937 - August 25, 2000

CREDITS:
rogerbourland.com
themusicsover.wordpress.com
thehoundblog.blogspot.com - a great site
(also were I found the Crawdaddy piece)

Hagstrom Swede

Carl got me a gig spot on that very night doin dishes while he was on prep at Chuck's Steakhouse, 17th Street Causeway in Fort Lauderdale. I literally just stepped off a skank ridden Grey Hound after a 2 day haul down from Grand Rapids, then hopped a cab to Chuck's. Somebody let me poke my head in the kitchen to let Carl know I was here and his immediate words were "Wanna job?"
That was fun for like a minute. Then along came a slew of some really sweet gigs: more dishes and table clearing in some Lithoanian place, a stagehand for the Kenny Martel Concept at Beethoven's Dinner Theatre then scraping barnacles off boat hulls in preparation for sanding and painting. That's some high turn-over at that place. But what was cool was what was dry-docked and being worked on on the other side of the marina. Local lore had it that it was a vessel being built for Neil Young, who was dating Robin at the time, the evening hostess at Chuck's.

This ship, I swear, looked like freakin Noah's Ark...but smaller, a lot smaller. It was all hull, deep deep hull with a little cabin up top. I wonder what kinda goins-on were goin on below decks.
It had this beautiful, raw natural woodwork on the outside, but really, looked like it would drop like a rock.

Fast forward and I'm just North of downtown Chicago headin up 94 and I'm lookin in my rearview and I can see this bus a ways behind me ski-daddlin up the passing lane and I'm thinkin, thats kinda funny lookin. What with one eye on the road and tuther on the side rearview she starts to sidle up agin me and I can see what looks like the top half of a car from below the windows up, welded on to the top of the bus as skylights. Turns out they're a pair of 1950 Hudson Hornets.
As it passes by me, I can see it has this Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues kinda thing goin on and ZUMA stamped into the Florida plate.


Top Photo from greenwithglamour.com
Bottom Photo from community.klipsch.com

Elvis played a Hagstrom Viking II (sometimes).
"Hey Arn, wher dya find that Hagstrom Swede"