The Lone Survivor

My sister and brother-in-law gave me a 3-day emergency survival kit for Christmas this past year, but none of my friends have one. If Seattle were suddenly hit with an epic disaster, would I really want to go on living in three days of relative comfort while my friends and loved ones perish in the catastrophe's aftermath? And besides, how would I survive on day #4? 

side one:
01. Space Cadet - KC
02. Sjanson de Confiture - De Aal
03. Dancing Diamonds - Les Baxter
04. Horophones - The Love Language
05. Ballad For Space Lovers - Space
06. Feels Like Heaven - Easy Street
07. When We Kiss - Bardeux
08. I Walk the Line - Living Marimbas
09. La Femme de Mon Ami - Enrico Macias
10. Fall From the Sky - Beautiful Skin
11. I Never Will Marry - Nancy Ames
12. You Were a Kindness - The National
13. Voyager - The Alan Parsons Project
14. Face It Girl, It's Over - Nancy Wilson
15. Mara - The Mario Panas Sound
[ listen ]

side two:
01. It's a Most Unusual Day - Anna Maria Alberghetti
02. Bougainvillea Chamber - Dimlite
03. Train to Nowhere - Yellow Power
04. Paris, Paris - Benjamin Biolay
05. Now That It's Ended - Robert Goulet
06. Flesh + Accessories - Electronicat
07. Lookin' Kinda Rock-n-Rolled - Darling
08. Astronomy - Red Guitars
09. The Party - St. Vincent
10. My Miri (Tihitian Love Song) - Augie Goupil and His Royal Tahitians
11. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - James Last
12. Buzzin' Fly - Tim Buckley
13. Girl In Black (Para Mi Negra) - Gato Barbieri and His Orchestra
[ listen ]

George Shearing [1919-2011]

Artist: George Shearing Quintet

LP: Latin Lace

Song: "Sand In My Shoes"

[ listen ]

Whether it's Latin lace, black or white satin, velvet carpet, or blue chiffon, I've learned that you can always count on the records of jazz pianist George Shearing for some luxurious listening material. This 1958 LP was Shearing's second foray into music with a Latin theme, following "Latin Escapade" in 1956. Born in the South London neighborhood of Battersea in 1919, George turned down several scholarships in order to play piano and accordion at Manson's Arms pub instead. He moved to the U.S.A. in 1946 (or maybe '47) where he soon became known for his piano technique that came to be called "the Shearing voicing." George Shearing released a slew of albums during his 60-year career—both with and without his quintet. He played for three U.S. presidents (Ford, Carter, Reagan) and he passed away just a few days ago in New York City at the age of 91. You can read more about George Shearing's life and career on Wikipedia here—where you'll find details about "the Shearing voicing" and see his extensive discography—and you can read Shearing's obituary in the L.A. Times here.

 

 

George Shearing

[August 13, 1919 — February 14, 2011]

We will miss you, George.

Musical Youth

Artist: Musical Youth

LP: 7" single

Song: "She's Trouble"

[ listen ]

After the smash success of their 1982 "The Youth of Today" LP, which spawned the immensely hummable reggae hit "Pass the Dutchie," somebody who probably acted like they knew what they were doing decided that Musical Youth needed a "Different Style!" for their 1983 followup record. Unfortunately, the new style they got was the same one already being used by lots of other American performers at the time, like this guy, and the truly "different style" that had made Musical Youth such a refreshing novelty on the pop-radio airwaves of the early 1980s was gone forever. "She's Trouble" isn't a terrible song though—it climbed to #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and the cover features a neat photo of the group balancing precariously on the rails of a roller-coaster. And at least the guys were still allowed to wear great clothes. You can read about Musical Youth on Wikipedia here and find their first two albums compared and contrasted on the Reggae Reviews website here.

The A's

Artist: The A's

LP: The A's

Song: "5 Minutes In a Hero's Life"

[ listen ]

Here's a cut from the 1979 self-titled debut LP from Philadelphia rock band The A's—another gem from my little getaway up to Bellingham last month. You can find lots of people fondly reminiscing about The A's on Lars Hindsley's blog here, where A's guitarist Rick Difonzo also chimes in with some comments. Go here to read more about Rick Difonzo, find a list of albums on which he's played guitar here, and you can buy his 2008 "Bright Shiny Pop" CD here. The A's lead singer Richard Bush is now in The Peace Creeps, you can visit their MySpace page here. You can watch a dynamic performance by The A's by clicking the YouTube link below, after which you'll find the extremely charming Richard Bush smoking, chewing gum, and being interviewed by a British woman all at the same time.

The A's on YouTube:

[ "Who's Gonna Save the World" + interview ]

 

 

Shake

Artist: Shake

LP: 7" single

Song: "Soleil Aide-Moi"

[ listen ]

According to what I found on the Let's Learn French Together blog here, Dato "Shake" Shake was born in Malaysia and, as a young garçon, he wanted nothing more than to become a famous chanteur. His family couldn't convince him to do anything else, so they shipped him off to Europe, where he had a string of hits and became the toast of the continent—and Canada too! There's a link below for watching Shake perform his first hit, "You Know I Love You," you can visit Shake's official website here, and join Club Shake using the address below. Just don't forget to joindre enveloppe timbrée.

Shake on YouTube:

[ "You Know I Love You" ]

 

Marvin Sease [1946-2011]

Artist: Marvin Sease

LP: Breakfast

Song: "Condom on Your Tongue"

[ listen ]

I was sad to read the news yesterday that R&B singer Marvin Sease had died on Tuesday from a bad case of pneumonia. I first heard of Sease while working at Budget Tapes & Records in Yakima, Washington back in 1988 when his "Breakfast" LP was released. We received a promo copy and were playing the record in the store when we, and several unsuspecting customers, were startled to hear Marvin joyously singing about receiving oral sex after having a condom placed on his partner's tongue. One of my colleagues who had a habit of ruining everything he touched took the record home to play it for friends, and when he brought it back it looked kinda' like this. I'd been keeping an eye out for another copy over the years, and finally found one at Golden Oldies here in Seattle about two years ago. Though nasty songs have become tiresomely commonplace ("my neck, my back"—and so-forth), Marvin Sease never seems to be trying nearly so hard as other dirty singers—and plus, he has a message. With "Condom on Your Tongue," Marvin not only cheerfully promotes safe sex and AIDS awareness, but also advocates for making sure sex is an equally pleasurable experience for everyone involved ("you do me...I'll do you"). Sadly, I never had the pleasure, but I'm willing to bet Marvin Sease was a lot of fun in the sack, and he was probably an engaging dinner date too. You can read about Marvin Sease on Wikipedia here, then find his obituary and listen to his sex-positive hit song "Candy Licker" on the blackbottom website here.

 

 

Marvin Sease

[February 16, 1946 — February 8, 2011]

We will miss you, Marvin.

A.J. Marshall

Artist: A.J. Marshall

LP: There's a Lot of Lovin' In This Old Boy Yet

Song: "The Mr. In Your Mrs. Kind of Life"

[ listen ]

If you can imagine Seymour Cassel crooning late-'60s lounge standards, you'll have a pretty good idea of what this record is all about. I especially like this particular track because there's whistling at the end—and because I, too, would like to find a Mr. for my Mrs. kind of life. A.J. Marshall was evidently an Al Jolson impersonator earlier in his career, and then after this record flopped he went on to play football for UNC.

 

 

L'eminent Barkoff

Artist: L'eminent Barkoff

LP: 7" single

Song: "Grain de Café"

[ listen ]

My records finally arrived from France! I only meant to order one, but as usual I got carried away. I've never been able to resist a man in a white leisure suit. The local translator says this 1976 single is about "coffee-berries," so I'm guessing it's probably actually about these. You can find the Barkoff doggie sweater available here.

Johnny Oahu & His Orchestra

Artist: Johnny Oahu & His Orchestra

LP: Hawaiian Magic

Song: "Pretty Mermaid of the Southern Sea"

[ listen ]

Here's a soothing something to take you sailing away to the tropic Hawaiian isles this frosty Monday morning in February. There's not really much on the web about Johnny Oahu or His Orchestra, but you can buy your own copy of his terrific 1962 "Hawaiian Magic" LP for a dollar at the Finders Keepers Variety Store here.

The Homoerratic Porn Collection—#1

[ In Touch For Men — No. 43, September/October 1979 ]

Here's the first posting in a new semi-regular series celebrating a bygone era—when the average gay man was interesting, smart, and still had all his body hair. And also celebrating 1970s gay wackiness. This Sept./Oct.'79 issue of "In Touch" magazine is one of the things I found when I was up in Bellingham.

The Features:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Men:

Travel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ads:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Humor: