Grace Abigail Preston

My first portrait of my first grandchild!  This was taken last Sunday when Miss Gracie was about 7.5 hours old.  Quite the cutie!

Happy Hootie Birthday!

Born On this day, 5/13

• Ritchie Valens, singer – 1941 (died February 1959: The Day The Music Died)
• Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz, harmonica, The J. Geils Band  – 1945
• Overend Watts, bass, Mott The Hoople, - 1947
• Stevie Wonder, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist – 1950
• Peter Gabriel, singer, Genesis, solo -1950
• Darius Rucker [www.dariusrucker.com/], Hootie & The Blowfish, solo – 1966

 And yes, I know that Darius Rucker isn't Hootie.  But I couldn't resisit the alliteration w/ Happy.

American Top 40 - May 11, 1974

reposted, blogger got buggered
The top 10 on this day in 1974:

1. The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk Railroad
2. The Streak - Ray Stevens
3. Dancing Machine - Jackson 5
4. The Entertainer - Marvin Hamlisch
5. Bennie And The Jets - Elton John
6. The Show Must Go On - Three Dog Night
7. Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield
8. TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) - MFSB
9. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long - Chicago
10. Midnight At The Oasis - Maria Muldaur

 Not bad, but not exactly stunning.  As with yesterday, here's 5 of my favorites from deaper in the charts:

• Another Park, Another Sunday - Doobie Brothers (#61) [aside:  The Doobies were probably my favorite band in this time period, clear up until Michael MacDonald joined.  I saw them in 1976]
• La Grange - ZZ Top (#68)  [not that I had a clue what it was about when I was not quite 14]
• If You Wanna Get To Heaven - Ozark Mountain Daredevils (#75)  [I bought this album just for this song, without realizing just how atypical it was.  But that's good, it's a great song from a great band!]
• Rikki (Don't Lose That Number) - Steely Dan (#84)
• Radar Love - Golden Earring (#99)

American Top 40 - May 12, 1973

Ahould've been posted yesterday, but blogger was buggered,,,,

If it’s Thursday, it’s time for 1973!  The top 10 songs this week, May 12, 1973

1. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree - Tony Orlando & Dawn
2. You Are The Sunshine of My Life- Stevie Wonder
3. Little Willy - Sweet
4. The Cisco Kid - War
5. Drift Away - Dobie Gray
6. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealer's Wheel
7. Frankenstein - Edgar Winter Group
8. The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
9. Daniel - Elton John
10. The Twelth Of Never - Donny Osmond

Other than #1 and #10, it was a pretty excellent week! Continuing this week’s focus, here’s 5 of my favorites from outside the Top 10:

• Reeling In The Years - Steely Dan (#11)
• Right Place Wrong Time - Dr. John (#34)
• No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper (#39)
• Long Train Runnin' - Doobie Brothers (#54) [one of the classic-est songs of classic rock!  I saw these guys back in '76]
• Isn't It About Time - Stephen Stills (#68)  

Comings And Goings, May 11

Should've been posted yesterday, but blogger was buggered

Jimi Hendrix Experience (Noel Redding - bass)

May 11th: Died on this Day


Noel Redding, bass, Jimi Hendrix Experience – 2003. He was 57. I posted a photo of N.R.'s Hagstrom bass at HRC Orlando last January...  Oddly, when I was looking for a photo for this post, my google turned up the photo from that post, but not my post.  Seems somebody borrowed it....  


May 11th: Born on this day

Eric Burdon, vocals, The Animals - 1941

Butch Trucks, drums, The Allman Brothers Band – 1947

Blue Meanies!!!

Maybe it's been there all along, but I recently noticed that Blogger has a "Stats" area.  So know I know that my most popular post BY FAR is a silly little blurb from last September talking about the Beatles' movie "Yellow Submarine".  It accounts for at surprising percentage of my page views over the past week, month and "all time" (which seems to cover the past 10.5 months). 

The prior post was titled Sky of blue and sea of green In our yellow submarine, referencing the song Yellow Submarine.  That previous post talked about the unavailbility of the movie "Yellow Submarine".  I couldn't find it on Netflix, not in blockbuster, not at any of the local used DVD places...  So to update:  I still haven't acquired the movie.  I found it on Amazon (new and used), but I haven't made the purchase yet. 

Handprint

Several years ago, my son attended day-care at one of the local centers.  Along the sideway beside the building, there was a small person's hand print in the concrete.  I walked by it many days when picking him up, and one day I paused long enought to take this photo.

Annyway, They're right next to "Scout Hall", where my son's Boy Scout troop stores their stuff.  We dropped him (my son) off there last Friday for a camp-out / bike trip, and the parking lot was pretty crazy with folks trying to pick up their little ones while scouts were loading 2 trailers worth of bikes and tents and such.    Yikes.

But it reminded me of this image.  And now I'm sharing it (again)

American Top 40 - May 10, 1969

I missed yesterday, sorry folks.   This week I planned to look at what was on the charts on "this date" in the sixties.But my primary source doesn't have weekly information for much / most of the 60's.  And easy trumps comlete.

So, we'll stick with the 70's.  1975 was the only year in the 70's when the charts were released on May 10.  So we'll use that:

The Top 10 singles on 5/10/1975 were:

1. He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
2. Before The Next Teardrop Falls - Freddie Fender
3. (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
4. Jackie Blue - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
5. Shining Star - Earth, Wind & Fire
6. Walking In Rhythm - Blackbyrds
7. Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John
8. Only Yesterday - Carpenters
9. Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) - Leo Sayer
10. I Don't Like To Sleep Alone - Paul Anka

 Ugh.  While I have half these songs, I'm not thinking I need to rush and make a playlist.....  Only #4 is outstanding (IMHO).

But there were some wonderful tunes deeper in the charts.  My Favorite Five:

• How Long - Ace (#11)
• Pinball - Brian Protheroe (60) [one of my all time favorite songs]
• Long Haired Country Boy - Charlie Daniels Band (#88) [yep, CBD...  I actually quoted a line from this in my high school yearbook.... I remember being young and stupid!] 
• Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me) - Doobie Brothers (#55) [coincidence, I was listening to this album on yesterday's commute home.  I actually had this album on 8-track!]
• Amie - Pure Prairie League (#51)

Happy Birthday, Sid & Friends!

 

May 10th: Born on this day

•  Donovan, singer, songwriter - 1946 aside:  I saw Donovan in concert in the late 80's.  I think it was warm-up for Yes.  Not a particularly good pairing, and a horrible venue (17,000 seat area) for a folk singer.....
• Graham Gouldman, singer, songwriter, guitarist, 10cc, - 1946
• Dave Mason, guitar, Traffic - 1947
• John Ritchie (Sid Vicious), bass, vocals, Sex Pistols - 1957 (died 1979)
• Paul Hewson, (Bono), vocals, guitar, U2 - 1690

 

 

 

Go-Go-Gone

May 10, 1985: All girl group The Go-Go's announced they were breaking up. 

Guess they needed a Vacation?

Hapy Birthday Tom Petersson!

May 9th: Born on this day


Nokie Edwards, guitar, The Ventures - 1935
DaTommy Roe, singer, - 1943
Richie Furay, guitar, vocals, Buffalo Springfield, Poco, The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band, - 1944
Billy Joel, singer songwriter, - 1949
Tom Petersson, bass, Cheap Trick - 1950

[aside:  There's more birthdays at the link, I limit these posts to 5 of my choosing]

Another One Rides The Bus?

I haven’t used public transport since moving to Illinois. It simply wasn’t available at my first job. It wasn’t applicable at my second (worked from home). Now? It simply doesn’t make sense. There are busses available, but…. Using public transportation, my commute would look something like this:

1) Walk 0.5 miles to the bus stop nearest home (google estimates 9 minutes)
2) Ride the bus to the Collinsville transfer station (bus schedule estimates 21 minutes)
3) Transfer (schedules indicate 29 minutes)
4) Ride the bus to the stop nearest work (bus schedule estimates 14) minutes
5) Walk 0.4 miles to the office (google estimates 7 minutes)

Total time is 1 Hr, 20 minutes. Total cost is $3.50. Double everything for the ride home and you get 2 Hrs and 40 minutes, and $7.00. Miss the bus? Add another 30 minutes.

How does that compare to driving? My most direct route is 11.6 miles, and 25 minutes. Assume $4.50/gallon gas and 27 MPG on my car and we get $1.93 each way. Double everything for the ride home and you get 50 minutes, and $3.87.

So why in the world would I use public transportation? It costs more (almost double), and it takes a LOT longer (almost 3x as long) and is less convienient. ..  And while that walking might be nice (and healthy) this time of year, it’s going to be rotten all too often .

Over a year public transportation would cost me an extra $675, and 437.5 hours.
I Don't Think So.

American Top 40 - 1976

Last Saturday we looked at some pointless stuff regarding songs from 1977. I liked that, so we’ll do it again. But ratchet back a year to 1976, the bicentennial.

The Long and The Short Of It:

Longest #1 song of 1976 (time): Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney @ 5:54
Shortest #1 song of 1977 (time): Welcome Back - John Sebastian @ 2:51 (Theme from the TV show “Welcome Back Kotter”, which introduced the world to John Travolta)


Longest Top 10 song of 1976: Do You Feel Like We Do – Peter Frampton @ 13:45 (peaked #10)
Shortest Top 10 song of 1976: Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles @ 2:27 (peaked #7) (released as a single 6 years after the band broke up, and 10 years after it was released on "Revolver".  This was their last Top 40 hit until 1995’s “Free As A Bird”. Discounting 1982’s “Beatles Movie Medley” which was just a collection of snippets pasted into a “song”)

- - - -


Longest song title to top the charts in 1976: You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show) - Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.

Shortest song title to top the charts in 1976: I Wish – Stevie Wonder

- - - -

Longest Band/Singer in the Top 10: Star Wars (Main Title) Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. w/ You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show) (peaked #1)

Shortest Band/Singer in the Top 10: War, w/ Summer (peaked #7)

Outrage!

Regular readers know that I frequently reference Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  This was published in December 2004.  Like any such list, I had my disagreements, but they tended to be minor.  I (predictable) made a playlist for my iPod, and I own 327 of the 500 songs.

Well, I just discovered that the folks at Rolling Stone did an update in May of 2010.  And I'm rather disappointed.  They changed 26 songs , mostly adding newcomers.  I had 16 of the 26 dropped, I don't know (much less own) any of the additions.

Question?  How can a song that was ranked 114th of all time best in 2004 be off the list in 2010?  Granted most of the dropped songs were in the botton 20% of the previous list, but several were in the top 1/2.  You can make a case for  the departure of "One Nation Under A Groove" or "By The Time I Get To Phoenix", but how can anyone justify dropping songs like Lola, Crossroads and Rhiannan ...  I could go on, but I'd rather sit and be grumpy....

Mother Goose

OK, I'm not really much of a goose fan.  they're over-populated poop machines, cluttering up our parks and being an overall nuisance.  On the other hand, who can resist baby animals and their parents??

I came across this goose family at Moody Park yesterday, and couldn't resist snapping a few shots.  Above, I love how the first gosling is actually under the parent's tail...

- - -

I presume this is a mating pair, Mum and Daddy.....  But which one is which?

 - - -

The "in the grass" photos were actually taken first.  The parents didn't like me getting as close as I did, and hustled the babes off to the safety of the water.  But I was harmless, ya know!

Oh, and the song?  Thinking about the Jethro Tull song....  And in honor of the goslings, I'll have some Goslings!