It was here....

A little bit of graffiti I noticed at the Watershed Nature Center today...   Though I'm no fan of graffiti, this verse struck me.  Perhaps because there was no sunshine today (rather rain).  Nor any young loves.

It was here

with the sun

in your hair

that I fell in

love with you

Below is a long view of the spot:

We were at the watershed with a group of Boy Scouts, working on my son's Eagle project...

G.U. Leisner

 

Took a quick trip to Paducah yesterday, my wife wanted to check out some stuff at the Quilt Show.  Fun times, and I managed to grab a few photos of a cool building down by the Convention Center.   It's an antique shope now, but based on some googling, I think it used to be a Saloon and grocery story.  Of course, the "grocery" in the top right of this image is a good clue.  It appears that G.U. Leisner was the owner of teh establishment

A couple  other shots over at 365:

Here and Here

R.I.P. Prince Rogers Nelson

The terrible year for rock music deaths just keeps on being bad.  Not quite 6 weeks since Keith Emerson died, and not 2 weeks since Merle Haggard...  the internet is lit up today with news of Prince's death.  Now, I' only have a handful of Prince songs, But I have immense respect for his work. A dominant figure in the pop music world through the 80's and 90's. He had Five songs reach #1, 19 Top 20's, and 34 Top 40's...  Just on the US Pop Charts, over a span of 19 years.  combine Pop, R&B and Dance Charts, that jumps to Thirteen #1s, 42 Top 20's and 50 Top 40's.  Regular readers of this blog will know that 30 years ago, April 1986, the song Kiss topped the charts, and was the most popular song of the month....

Limited information as I type this, but apparently he had been sick.  Prince was only 57.

This Month In Music - April 1986

April 1986...  30 years ago!  What was happening in the music world:

There were four Saturdays in April '86, so there the charts came out 4 times. Two songs made it to #1.  Falco's Rock Me Amadeus continued from last adding two more weeks at the top (for three total).  Then Prince and the Revolution took over with Kiss.

Here's the Top 10 songs of the month, based on average chart position over the 4 weeks:

• Song - Artist -  April-Ave
• Kiss  -  Prince And The Revolution  -  1.8
• Rock Me Amadeus  -  Falco  -  3.3
• Manic Monday  -  Bangles  -  4.0
• Addicted To Love  -  Robert Palmer  -  5.0
• West End Girls  -  Pet Shop Boys  -  7.0
• What You Need  -  INXS  -  7.0
• Harlem Shuffle  -  The Rolling Stones  -  9.3
• Let's Go All The Way  -  Sly Fox  -  9.3
• Why Can t This Be Love  -  Van Halen  -  10.5
• R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (A Salute to 60 s Rock)  -  John Mellencamp  -  11.0

Seventeen (17) songs made their chart debuts.  Listed below with their peak position during the month:

• Song  -  Artist  -  April Minimum
• Greatest Love Of All  -  Whitney Houston  -  12
• If You Leave  -  Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark  -  18
• Something About You  -  Level 42  -  20
• On My Own  -  Patti LaBelle  -  21
• I Can t Wait  -  Nu Shooz  -  22
• I Do What I Do... (Theme For 9 1/2 Weeks)  -  John Taylor  -  23
• Live To Tell  -  Madonna  -  24
• All I Need Is A Miracle  -  Mike and The Mechanics  -  25
• Is It Love  -  Mr. Mister  -  28
• Rough Boy  -  ZZ Top  -  31
• Never As Good As The First Time  -  Sade  -  32
• Move Away  -  Culture Club  -  33
• Be Good To Yourself  -  Journey  -  34
• Stick Around  -  Julian Lennon  -  37
• A Little Bit Of Love (Is All It Takes)  -  New Edition  -  38
• Feel It Again  -  Honeymoon Suite  -  38
• Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight  -  Starship  -  40

Sniffin' The Tulips - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015 (4/9 <--> 4/15).  This is one from my 365project:

This is my granddaughter, smelling the flowers outside their house.  I made a print of this one for my daughter's Christmas present...

April 11 - International Louie, Louie Day

Well, in case you didn't know, today is international Louie Louie Day...  apparently.  Or at least as as defined by the Louie Louie Advocacy and Musical Appreciation Society (Llamas!)..

So, in the spirit of participation:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V1p1dM3snQ

Louie Louie, oh no

Me gotta go

Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said

Louie Louie, oh baby

Me gotta go

Fine little girl waits for me

Catch a ship across the sea

Sail that ship about, all alone

Never know if I make it home

Louie Louie, oh oh no

Me gotta go, oh no

Louie Louie, oh baby

I said we gotta go

Three nights and days I sail the sea

Think of girl, constantly

On that ship, I dream she's there

I smell the rose in her hair.

Louie Louie, oh no

Me gotta go

Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said

Louie Louie, oh baby

Me gotta go

Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now!

See Jamaica, the moon above

It won't be long, me see me love

Take her in my arms again

I tell her I'll never leave again

Louie Louie, oh no

Me gotta go

Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said

Louie Louie, oh baby

Me gotta go

I said we gotta go now

Let's take it on outta here now

Let's go!!

This Month In Music - April 1976

April 1976...  40 years ago!  What was happening in the music world:

There were four Saturdays in April '76, so there the charts came out 4 times. But only one song made #1:  Johnny Taylor's "Disco Lady" dominated the month.  The month started with The Miracles' Love Machine at #1.  The Four Seasons took over in the second week with December 1963 (Oh What A Night), and stayed at #1 the rest of the month.

Here's the Top 10 songs of the month, based on average chart position over the 4 weeks:

• Song   -   Artist    -    April Average
• Disco Lady  -  Johnnie Taylor   -  1.0
• Let Your Love Flow  -  Bellamy Brothers   -  3.0
• Right Back Where We Started From  -  Maxine Nightingale   -  4.3
• Lonely Night(Angel Face)  -  Captain & Tennille   -  5.3
• Dream Weaver  -  Gary Wright   -  6.3
• Only Sixteen  -  Dr. Hook   -  7.8
• Boogie Fever  -  The Sylvers   -  8.0
• Sweet Love  -  Commodores   -  8.3
• Show Me TheWay  -  Peter Frampton   -  10.3
• Dream On  -  Aerosmith   -  11.3

A whopping Thirty Seven (37) songs made their chart debuts.  Listed below with their peak position during the month:

• Song  -  Artist  -  Peak (April)
• Welcome Back  -  John Sebastian  -  7
• Fooled Around And Fell In Love  -  Elvin Bishop  -  10
• Golden Years  -  David Bowie   -  10
• I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do  -  ABBA   -  17
• Shannon  -  Henry Gross   -  18
• Tangerine  -  The Salsoul Orchestra   -  18
• Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again  -  Barry Manilow  -  19
• Action  -  Sweet   -  20
• Livin' For The Weekend  -  The O'Jays  -  20
• Take It ToThe Limit  -  Eagles   -  20
• Love Machine (Part 1)  -  The Miracles   -  22
• StrangeMagic  -  Electric Light Orchestra  -  22
• Sara Smile  -  Daryl Hall John Oates   -  23
• Silly Love Songs  -  Wings  -  24
• Misty Blue  -  Dorothy Moore  -  25
• Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)  -  Fleetwood Mac  -  26
• Lorelei  -  Styx   -  27
• Get Up And Boogie (That's Right)  -  Silver Convention  -  28
• Only Love Is Real  -  Carole King   -  28
• Looking For Space  -  John Denver  -  29
• Love Hangover  -  Diana Ross  -  29
• Fopp  -  Ohio Players   -  30
• Love Fire  -  Jigsaw   -  30
• Don't Pull Your Love/then You Can Tell Me Goodbye  -  Glen Campbell  -  32
• Love Hurts  -  Nazareth   -  32
• You'll Lose A Good Thing  -  Freddy Fender   -  32
• Union Man  -  Cate Bros.  -  33
• Happy Music  -  The Blackbyrds  -  34
• Come On Over  -  Olivia Newton-John  -  35
• He's A Friend  -  Eddie Kendricks   -  36
• Shout It Out Loud  -  Kiss  -  36
• We Can't Hide It Anymore  -  Larry Santos   -  36
• Happy Days  -  Pratt & McClain with Brother Love  -  37
• Young Blood  -  Bad Company  -  38
• Can't Hide Love  -  Earth, Wind & Fire  -  39
• Hit The Road Jack  -  Stampeders   -  40
• More, More, More Pt. 1  -  Andrea True Connection  -  40

Hard Times In The Country, Out On Tanner's Farm... - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015 (4/2 <--> 4/8).  This is one from my 365project:
 This one was also posted here...

Hard Times In The Country, Out On Tanner's Farm...

"Holes in the windows and cracks in the walls
They work you in the summer and they rob you in the fall
It's hard times in the country, out on Tanner's Farm"
- Tanner's Farm, traditional

April Showers....

Cold and wet at yesterday's lunch time.  But the world is getting greener by the hour.  This was taken from the dry confines of my car, at Pleasant Ridge Park in Fairview Heights.

Sunset, Watershed Nature Center

Beautiful evening at the watershed.  I took a bunch of photos, which will probably dribble out over the next few days. Or perhaps fade into a corner of my hard drive, to never be seen in public.

Here's two that ended up at 365project:  This one and that one.

This Month In Music - April 1966

April 1966...  50 years ago!  What was happening in the music world:

There were five Saturdays in March. '66, so there the charts came out 5 times.  Three songs made it to #1.  Starting with  The Ballad Of The Green Berets, by Staff Sgt Barry Sadler, which finished a five week run at #1 on the first week.  The Righteous Brothers' song "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration" had a 3 week run at the top, and "Good Lovin'" by the Rascals topped the last week.  

Here's the Top 10 songs of the month, based on average chart position over the 4 weeks:

• Name – Artist – Average (April)
• (You're My)Soul And Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers – 1.6
• Daydream - The Lovin' Spoonful  - 4.2
• Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Cher – 5.2
• Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers – 6.8
• Time Won'tLet Me - The Outsiders – 8.8
• I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - B.J. Thomas And The Triumphs – 9.6
• The Ballad Of The Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler – 10.0
• 19th Nervous Breakdown - The Rolling Stones  - 10.4
• Good Lovin' - The Young Rascals - 11.8
• Nowhere Man – Beatles – 12.8

Twenty-Six (26) songs made their chart debuts.  Listed below with their peak position during the month:

• Name - Artist - April Peak
• Monday,Monday - The Mamas & The Papas - 3
• Sloop John B - The Beach Boys - 4
• Leaning On The Lamp Post - Herman's Hermits - 10
• A Sign Of The Times - Petula Clark - 11
• Gloria - Shadows Of Knight - 11
• Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Bob Dylan - 14
• Shapes OfThings - The Yardbirds - 15
• Rhapsody In The Rain - Lou Christie - 16
• Try Too Hard - The Dave Clark Five - 17
• Message To Michael - Dionne Warwick - 18
• Together Again - Ray Charles - 19
• How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? - Nancy Sinatra - 21
• Eight Miles High - The Byrds - 22
• A GroovyKind Of Love - The Mindbenders - 23
• What Now My Love - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - 24
• Frankie And Johnny - Elvis Presley - 25
• Somewhere - Len Barry - 26
• Spanish Flea - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - 27
• When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge - 29
• Think I'll Go Somewhere And Cry Myself To Sleep - Al Martino - 30
• I Hear Trumpets Blow - The Tokens - 30
• Satisfaction - Otis Redding - 31
• Caroline, No - Brian Wilson - 32
• The Phoenix Love Theme (Senza Fine) - The Brass Ring featuring Phil Bodner - 33
• Inside-Looking Out - The Animals  - 34
• The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore) - The Walker Bros. - 39

Album Cover Challeng #61

Regular readers might remember occasional posts about making mock album covers.  Well, it's that time again, over at 365project.  My random band name was "Monster Game" from the wikipedia page for "The Movie Monster Game"...  My album name was "activity in our consciousness", from a Joel S. Goldsmith quote:  "God must become an activity in our consciousness"

So...  I  pondered, went out and made some images...  And eventually came up with 2 tries.  One made it as a finalist (but I'm not saying which one!).  I like them both, do you have a preference?

 

Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge - Flashback Friday

Posted this week in 2015 (3/26 <--> 4/1).  This one is from my 365project. 

Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge

Opened in 1929, this bridge carried historic Route 66 across the Mississippi River (just north of St.Louis). Closed in 1970, the bridge was repurposed in the late 1990s for walking and biking.