Showing posts with label Carole King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carole King. Show all posts

November 3, 2021

Carole King articles/mentions

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Carole King     
date & photographer unknown     
     
      
     
      
     
      
     
      
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

March 6, 2021

Carole King articles/mentions

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The Drifters ~ Save the Last Dance For Me & Doc Pomus      
David Gates ~ First, Bread       
The Hour Glass ~   
    The Power of Love   
    The Power of Love & Paul Hornsby  
     
    
      
     
date & photographer unknown 
      
      
     
      
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

December 30, 2020

20,000 vinyl LPs 262: The Monkees ~ Head & Davy Jones

 ~        
mylar coated vinyl LP front cover detail 
detail photo by Styrous®
 
 
I am not the slightest bit ashamed to admit I completely LOVED the created for TV music group, the Monkees. The line-up of the Monkees was the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones. Of the four of the guys, Jones was my favorite, maybe because we were the same height, 5' 4" and I could relate to him, but I think it was more than that; he was very talented.    
 
 

 The Monkees ~ Head
vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
        
 
David Thomas Jones, was born on December 30, 1945 at 20 Leamington Street, Openshaw, Manchester, England. The Monkees recorded the soundtrack for the film Head, and it was released on a vinyl LP on December 1, 1968, through Colgems, it was the band's sixth album. So, the album and his birth are fodder for the holiday season.             
 
This album could very well have been under the category I call, “Just the cover, ma’am” (link below), but there is SO much more to the album and the film I couldn't limit it just to the cover.        

The film is whacky but so much fun to watch and there are parts that are brilliant! It is the black and white film Hard Day's Night by the Beatles on acid and steroids in totally over-saturated, 60's psychedelia colors. And the story line, well, that takes a bit of explaining, which I won't do. But the cast is mind-blowing (link below)!      

Head reveals the distaste The Monkees had for the music business and in fact it marked the demise of the group. The reviews of the film as well as the Monkees website echo that result (links below). In spite of that, and the funky effects (notice the wire on Dolenz in the shot below), it's a blast!     



 
In one part of the film, the boys wear really cool white jumpsuits with two brass zippers from neck to feet on the front.     
 
 
 
 
I found one just like the one they wore only in black with brass zippers. I have had it for decades and used it one Halloween when I dressed up as a "Dead Race Car Driver".     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
black "Monkees" style jumpsuit
photos by Tom White
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Styrous® as "Dead Race Car Driver" 
Halloween, 2002
photo by Tom White
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jones sings and dances to Daddy's Song, (my favorite cut on the album) written by Harry Nilsson, it is a wonderfully exuberant and bouncy tune and what every father should be able to tell his son. Jones is cute as a button and his partner, Toni Basil, is gorgeous (link below)!         
 
 
 
Almost surreal, the costumes are totally black and white and there are no special effects only superb editing! The scene is spectacular! At the opening, he is wearing the white jumpsuit then cuts to him wearing a white tuxedo.  
 
 
 
Jones performed Daddy's Song in the The Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour in 2011. There's a video on YouTube of it in Liverpool, England, he was 66 and he did a great job of it (links below)!      





Head the movie
 
movie poster 


The artists that appeared in the film is astonishing! In addition to the member of the group, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, Peter Tork, it included Leon Russell, Ry Cooder, Neil Young, Carole King, Frank Zappa, Stephen Stills and dozens of other musicians with Jack Nitzsche and Russ Titelman on production.     
 
And the actors involved is just as amazing (link below)! They include Teri Garr, David Manners and Bela Lugosi both from Dracula, Logan Ramsey, Timothy Carey, Victor Mature (The Big Victor), Carol Doda (Silicone Sally), Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston and professional American football middle linebacker, Ray Nitschke.    
 
 
 
vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


As if that wasn't enough the film was written and produced by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, who also was the vinyl LP album coordinator, and it was directed by Bob Rafelson who also directed the 1970 film Five Easy Pieces,             
 


vinyl LP back cover detail
photo by Styrous®
detail photo by Styrous®


David Manners was terrific as the pseudo-heavy and totally out of his head to the point of weird, even for his typecasting. Carol Doda of Condor Club fame makes an appearance as Sally Silicone. How appropirate is that?!      
        
There is a great documentary as well as a very good review of the film and selections from the film on YouTube (links below).         

 
Now about the album cover. 
 
The original issue of the record (Colgems #COSO-5008) featured a front cover with a surface of aluminized PET film, meant to reflect the listener's "head" (face) back at them. While the cover was innovative for its time, manufacturing was problematic. (Micky Dolenz recalled years later that the cover was ruining the printing presses at RCA.) A March 1985 LP reissue from Rhino Records (RNLP-145) was less problematic by using foil paper instead, the result being less reflective than the original. The Rhino CD reissue from 1994 (R2-71795) has a grey cover that is not reflective at all.  
          

mylar coated vinyl LP front cover 
photo by Styrous®
 

After the death of his mother from emphysema when he was 14 years old, Jones rejected acting in favour of a career as a jockey, commencing an apprenticeship with Newmarket trainer Basil Foster. He dropped out of secondary school to begin his career in that field. Even though Foster believed Jones would be successful as a jockey, he encouraged Jone to take a role as the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver! in London's West End.          

On 9 February 1964, Jones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Georgia Brown who was playing Nancy in the Broadway production of Oliver!. This was the same episode of the show in which the Beatles made their first appearance. Jones said of that night, "I watched the Beatles from the side of the stage, I saw the girls going crazy, and I said to myself, this is it, I want a piece of that." He would later be considered a teen idol.    
 
From 1966 to 1970, Jones was a member of The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for the television show of the same name.                
         
He had a guest star role in a hallmark episode of The Brady Bunch television show and later was in the parody film, The Brady Bunch Movie. He was also in Love, American Style and My Two Dads.   

 

vinyl LP back cover 
photo by Styrous®
    
 
On the morning of 29 February 2012, Jones went to tend to his 14 horses at a farm in Indiantown, Florida. After riding one of his favourite horses around the track, he complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing, and was rushed to Martin Memorial South Hospital in Stuart, Florida, where he was pronounced dead of a severe heart attack resulting from arteriosclerosis.        
 
On 7 March, a private funeral service was held at Holy Cross Catholic parish in Indiantown. To avoid drawing attention to the grieving family, the three surviving Monkees did not attend.         
           
On 12 March, a private memorial service was held in Jones's home town of Openshaw, Manchester, England, at Lees Street Congregational Church, where Jones performed as a child in church plays.     

The news of Jones's death triggered a surge of Internet traffic, causing sales of the Monkees' music to increase dramatically.           

Guitarist Michael Nesmith stated that Jones's "spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us. I have fond memories. I wish him safe travels." In an 8 March 2012 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Nesmith commented, "For me, David was the Monkees. They were his band. We were his side men." 

Bassist Peter Tork said, "Adios to the Manchester Cowboy", and speaking to CNN, drummer/singer Micky Dolenz said, "He was the brother I never had and this leaves a gigantic hole in my heart." Dolenz claimed that he knew that something bad was about to happen and said "Can't believe it.. Still in shock.. had bad dreams all night long." Dolenz was gratified by the public affection expressed for both Jones and the Monkees in the wake of his bandmate's death. "He was a very well-known and well-loved character and person. There are a lot of people who are grieving pretty hard. The Monkees obviously had a following, and so did (Jones) on his own. So I'm not surprised, but I was flattered and honored to be considered one of his friends and a cohort in Monkee business."            
 
 
vinyl LP back cover detail
photo by Styrous®
detail photo by Styrous®






vinyl LP record lables, side 1 &2
detail photos by Styrous®



   
Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 – No Artist     Opening Ceremony - 1:19
A2 – The Monkees - Porpoise Song (Theme From "Head”), written by Goffin And King - 2:56
A3 – The Monkees - Ditty Diego - War Chant - 1:27
A4 – The Monkees - Circle Sky, written by Nesmith* - 2:32
A5 – No Artist     Supplicio - 0:49
A6 – The Monkees - Can You Dig It, written by Tork* - 3:19
A7 – No Artist - Gravy - 0:05

Side 2:

B1 – No Artist - Superstitious - 0:06
B2 – The Monkees - As We Go Along, written by King*, Stern* - 3:53
B3 – No Artist - Dandruff? - 0:40
B4 – The Monkees - Daddy's Song, written by Nilsson* - 2:39
B5 – No Artist - Poll - 1:12
B6 – The Monkees - Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again, written by Tork* - 2:37
B7 – No Artist - Swami - Plus Strings, Arranged By [Strings] – Ken Thorne - 5:18

Companies, etc.



Credits:

    Composed By [Incidental Music], Conductor [Incidental Music] – Ken Thorne
    Producer – Jerry Goffin* (tracks: A2), The Monkees (tracks: A1, A3-B7)

Notes:
Original soundtrack recording with Mylar cover, which acts as a mirror for the purchaser to see their own head.

Track A2, is the short version without the extra minute of drum and drone.
(The extended version can be found on the single release "Porpoise Song")

An Original Soundtrack Recording

Some copies have "NOT FOR SALE PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY" pressed onto foil sleeve and are considered the same as releases without.
 
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Runout stamp side A): WZRS--5389-5S
    Matrix / Runout (Runout etching side A): ARG
    Matrix / Runout (Runout stamp side B): WZRS--5390-5S
    Matrix / Runout (Runout etching side B): AIB
 
The Monkees ‎– Head
Label: Colgems ‎– COSO-5008
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mylar Foil Sleeve
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Rock, Stage & Screen
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock   
       
       
Viewfinder links:        
         
Toni Basil          
all things Beatles       
Ry Cooder      
Daddy's Song lyrics        
Carol Doda         
Micky Dolenz          
Annette Funicello       
Davy Jones        
Bela Lugosi        
Victor Mature       
The Monkees           
Michael Nesmith         
Jack Nicholson         
Harry Nilsson                
Leon Russell         
Styrous®        
Ed Sullivan        
Peter Tork         
Tom White        
Frank Zappa        
        
Net links:        
        
Head ~         
   Cast   
   Plot    
Angel Fire ~ Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour review     
Monkees Live Almanac ~ 45th Anniversary Tour      
        
        
YouTube links:        
        
The Monkees ~ Head         
     music:                    
        Head (complete album)      
        As We Go Along        
        Can You Dig It?        
        Circle Sky        
        Daddy's Song        
        Porpoise Song             
        Swami - Plus Strings with Ken Thorne   
        
     videos:      
        Head (complete film) (1 hr., 25 min.)  
        Head (trailer)  
        Daddy's Song (dance sequence)     
        Daddy's Song (live Liverpool)     
        Porpoise Song               
Head review (8 mins., 34 secs.)      
From The Monkees To Head documentary (28 mins., 36 secs.)   
Monkees ~ Live 12th May, 2011 Liverpool Arena 2011 (1 hr., 14 mins.)   
        
         
 
"There's an audience for everything." 
                         ~ Davy Jones 
 
        
        
        
       
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, December 30, 2020       














May 15, 2015

20,000 Vinyl LPs 39: B. B. King ~ Indianola Mississippi Seeds

cover design by Lockart 
cover photo by Ivan Nagy
photo of cover by Styrous®


I woke up this morning to discover that B. B. King died last night, May 14, 2014. King was my favorite blues musician and my favorite album of his was Indianola Mississippi Seeds. The back up on the album is phenomenal! It included Joe Walsh and Hugh McCracken on Guitar, Carole King on Piano, Russ Kunkel on Drums and many others (full credits below).  



it's a gatefold album

cover design by Lockart 
front & back photos by Ivan Nagy
photo of cover by Styrous®


B. B. King was born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925, on a cotton plantation near the town of Itta Bena, Mississippi, but he considered the nearby city of Indianola, Mississippi to be his true home. 

He sang in the choir and one source says when he was 12 he purchased his first guitar for $15.00.  Another source says he was given his first guitar by Bukka White, his mother's first cousin (King's grandmother and White's mother were sisters).   

In 1949, King began recording songs with RPM Records. His early recordings were produced by Sam Phillips, who later founded Sun Records

Following his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues charts number one, 3 O'Clock Blues (February 1952), B.B. King became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s, with an impressive list of hits: You Know I Love You, Woke Up This Morning, Please Love Me, When My Heart Beats like a Hammer, Whole Lotta Love, You Upset Me Baby, Every Day I Have the Blues, Sneakin' Around, Ten Long Years, Bad Luck, Sweet Little Angel, On My Word of Honor, and Please Accept My Love. This led to a significant increase in his weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500, with appearances at major venues such as the Howard Theater in Washington and the Apollo in New York, as well as touring the entire "Chitlin' circuit".       - From Wikipedia

He was the opening act for the Rolling Stones on the Stones' 1969 American Tour and won a Grammy Award in 1970 for the song, The Thrill Is Gone (my very favorite of all his songs).        

In 1980 Gibson Guitar Corporation launched the B.B. King Lucille model. In 2005 Gibson made a special run of 80 Gibson Lucilles, referred to as the "80th Birthday Lucille", the first prototype of which was given as a birthday gift to King, and which he had used ever since.

B. B. King with his favorite guitar, Lucille
March 12, 2009
photo by F. Antolín Hernandez



King was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987 and in 1988, he collaborative with the Irish band U2 on the single, When Love Comes to Town, a song on the U2 album, Rattle and Hum.    

On December, 1997, he performed in the Vatican's fifth annual Christmas concert and presented his trademark guitar "Lucille " to Pope John Paul II.  

In 2000, he and Eric Clapton teamed up to record Riding With the King, which won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

In 2006, King went on a "farewell" world tour, the quotes are apropos. He never stopped working until last night.   

On February 21, 2012, United States President Barack Obama joined King in singing Sweet Home Chicago during the In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues concert for the Black History Month celebration of blues music in the East Room of the White House. 
 
from left: Barack Obama,
 photo by Pete Souza



B. B. King was 89 years old. He once said, “But people that would ask me to sing a blues song would always tip me and maybe give me a beer. They always would do something of that kind. Sometimes I’d make 50 or 60 dollars one Saturday afternoon. Now you know why I’m a blues singer.”




photo by Styrous®


Track listing:


All songs written by B. B. King, except where noted.

         Side 1:  
  1. "Nobody Loves Me But My Mother" — 1:26
    • B. B. King — piano & vocal
  2. "You're Still My Woman" (B. B. King/Dave Clark) — 6:04
  3. "Ask Me No Questions" — 3:08
    • B. B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Leon Russell – piano
    • Joe Walsh – rhythm guitar
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  4. "Until I'm Dead and Cold" — 4:45
    • B. B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Carole King — piano
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  5. "King's Special" — 5:13
    • B. B. King — lead guitar
    • Leon Russell – piano
    • Joe Walsh – rhythm guitar
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums

    Side 2:  

  6. "Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore" — 5:18
    • B. B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Carole King — piano & electric piano
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  7. "Chains and Things" (B. B. King & Dave Clark) — 4:53
    • B.B. King — guitar & vocal
    • Carole King — electric piano
    • Bryan Garofalo — bass
    • Russ Kunkel — drums
  8. "Go Underground" (B. B. King & Dave Clark) — 4:00
    The Hit Factory, New York City
  9. "Hummingbird" (Leon Russell) — 4:36

Personnel

 

Credits

 

Production:

Other:

  • Cover design — Lockart
  • Photography — Ivan Nagy
  • Management — Sidney A. Seidenberg
  • Leon Russell appears with love from Shelter Records
  • Carole King & Merry Clayton appear through the courtesy of Ode 70 Records
  • Congratulations to Albert and Nora on your son Riley, September 16, 1925

    Label: ABC Records ‎– ABCS-713
    Format:
    Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold
    Country: US
    Released: 1970
    Genre: Blues
    Style: Chicago Blues

Companies etc.:

Credits:

Notes:

B3 engineered at the Hit Factory, New York City

Barcode and Other Identifiers:

  • Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): ABCS 713 A
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): ABCS 713 B
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A Runout, Etched): ABC S-713-A 1B B
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B Runout, Etched): ABCS-713-B 1C



B. B. King Discography   

 

Links to songs from the Indianola Mississippi Seeds album on YouTube   




The thrill will never go.