Celebrity Apprentice

i love the apprentice - it is the only reality show i've ever religiously watched. this, in my opinion was the finest moment in the show's history!

Now - WATCH IT!!!!!!!

Gary Busy and Meatloaf in action!

Comment - What did you think?!? Awesome huh!?!

best quote:

Meatloaf: "TAKE YOUR FUCKING SPRAY PAINT"
Busey: "Thank you very much"
Meatloaf: "SHUT THE FUCK UP"

"who is harry nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)" - DVD Review

greetings,

1941 - Harry Nilsson

an exciting documentary about one of the great musicians of the past 50 years was recently released on dvd - "who is harry nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)." for those of you who don't know who harry nilsson is *slap* he is considered by many rock musicologists to be america's answer to the beatles. as a matter of fact, the beatles were so enamored by his first two albums, "pandemonium shadow show" and "aerial ballet" that they publicly announced that he was their favorite american musician. fun fact - harry nilsson debuted the mccartney tune "mother nature's son" on his third lp "harry" prior to its release on "the white album!"

Good Old Desk - Harry Nilsson

"who is harry nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)" was released late october of 2010 and has been nominated for a 2011 WGA for "best documentary screenplay." rolling stone also reviewed it favorably, giving it 4 stars. in the documentary, special guests regale their experiences with harry from a bank teller-turned-aspiring songwriter, to one of the music businesses most outrageous drunkards. some of the interviewees include: terry gilliam, eric idle, yoko ono, robin williams, randy newman, van dyke parks, brian wilson, and ringo star!

the sound is remarkable too - great released and unreleased excerpts from harry's lps and demo recordings. harry was known for being a musical recluse, rarely ever performing in public. many of these live videos have been vaulted since they were filmed. this alone is worth the price of admission (around 16.00 for the dvd).

Me and My Arrow - Harry Nilsson




for anyone with an interest in harry nilsson or in rock music in general, this is a must see rock-doc. i purchased my copy at amazon.com, but i would ascertain that it would be an available netflix rental. good luck trying to find it at your local best buy, as harry nilsson isn't the most vogue pop culture icon.


Buy: "who is harry nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)"

until next time,
(be sure to listen to the music links provided - they are some of my favorite nilsson cuts)
-jensen

the family tree - miss butters

greetings,

i have a confession to make; i love "psychedelic obscurities." it's an addiction of mine. when i have free time, i love sleuthing through dredges of 1.00 vinyl bins at independent record stores for hours-on-end with the lone goal of unearthing an ignored relic from the past. 1968 (and possibly 1967) are, in my opinion the golden years for the under-appreciated genres of freak-folk, baroque pop, sunshine pop, bubblegum pop, and acid rock. needless to say, some of the records that i find border on silliness, but occasionally i'll find one that rocks my socks off! today, ladies and germs i present one of the great "psychedelic obscurities" for your listening pleasure (with more to come in the future - stay tuned!)

the family tree was a san francisco band created by mastermind bob segarini. segarini had originally been the frontman in a local bay-area singles group known as, the brogues. this band, like many of the era did their best to copiously study the beatles' "hit-making machine" formula and attempt to replicate it in the states. now, raise your hand if you have ever heard of the brogues and/or can name one of their songs? anyone? hello?...

frustrated by the lack of success with the brogues, segarini decided to jump ship and form a new band (along with hammond b3 extraordinaire, lee michaels!) that would capitalize off the success of the newly emerged "concept album" format. some of the earliest mainstream examples of this style are: "s.f. sorrow" by the pretty things, "sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band" by the beatles, and "the village green preservation society" by the kinks. essentially, a concept album cohesively ties each song together by a common theme or story. quite often, the theme or story in these albums can be very ambiguous to the listener, leaving much to the imagination of whomever is interpreting the album as a whole. segarini's newly formed band, the family tree set out to make a concept album of their own, however with a more coherent plot-line. this album would be known as "miss butters."

released in 1968, a year that would release such classic lps as: the beatles "white album", van morisson's "astral weeks", the rolling stones' "beggars banquet", and the zombies "odessey and oracle" it is not hard to surmise why this album is not often included in the pantheon of essential recordings. it is, however deserving to be included in the 2nd tier of great albums of 1968.

Mrs. McPheeny has Flue in Her Chest and has Needed a Rest for so Long) - The Family Tree

"miss butter" is segarini's homage to an elderly

spinster of the same name, with each song representing a chapter in her life. recorded during the "aerial ballet" sessions by one, harry nilsson (this recording will be reviewed at a later time) the sound of "mrs. butters" is not coincidently very similar in sound and presentation. as a matter of fact, nilsson is credited as co-writer for one of the album's cuts ("butters lament"). just like "aerial ballet" each track contains a vignette of whimsical ditties and idioms. if listening to "birthday/dirgeday" (the opening track) doesn't put a smile on your face, i would ascertain that you're legally dead! this album is dominated by piano, most characteristically sounding like the monkees "daydream believer" for much of the album. the harmonies are lush, most often resulting in 4-part polyphony (as one would come to expect from this genre). it's only fault is it can come across as a bit "musical theaterish" (as danny had pointed out in a discussion with me regarding this album). if that schtick isn't' your thing, this album might not be your bag, but for those of you who love "daydream"and "wouldn't it be nice" by the lovin' spoonful and the beach boys respectively, this album will exceed your expectations.

Butter's Lament - The Family Tree (co-written by Harry Nilsson)

my recommended tracks for "miss butters" are: "birthday/dirgeday", "mrs. mcpheeny has flue in her chest and has needed a rest for so long)" and "butter's lament." if you're looking for something different and extremely obscure, check this one out. more psychedelic obscurities to come, but until then "may you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going, and the insight to know when you're going too far!"

-jensen

montage - montage (album review)

greetings -

danny was gracious enough to invite me to review some albums of my choosing with the caveat that it wasn't something that (we) might not have raved about 5+ years ago. as danny's looming presence hadn't been overly prevalent in my life during that span (save the past 3 years) i risk the possibility of breaking this request. if that is the case, my sincere apologies.

for those reading this blog who are asking themselves, "who the hell is this guy?" i am danny's first cousin, 1/2 of the "kindergarden crushers", and allegedly iowa's biggest slipknot fan (thanks for always bringing that up, mark!) in addition to these flattering accolades, i also am a musician (ok...i'm a teacher). i was appreciative of danny allowing me to recommend some albums; hopefully whomever reads my reviews will be inspired enough to purchase and experience the music on their own terms.

Barterers and Their Wives - The Left Banke

the album at question is the self-titled album by the little known band, montage. montage released one album (1969) and is, in my opinion up to par with some of the great baroque pop albums of the era, i.e. "odessey and oracle", "walk away renee/pretty ballerina", "pet sounds", etc. as a matter of fact, montage is the brainchild of former left banke keyboardist and vocalist, michael browne. for those not familiar with the left banke, that is probably a great place to start, as the album "walk away renee/pretty ballerina" is one of the finest examples of the genre. the only thing lacking with the album is the lame-ass name; many bands used to title their albums, particularly if they weren't prolific with their perceived catchiest song titles. many people will recognize "walk away renee" and to a lesser extent "pretty ballerina", but the real gems on the album are "she will call you up tonight", "barterers and their wives" and "i've got something on my mind." these tracks contain zombie-esque harmonies, lush orchestrations (george martin, eat your heart out!) and harpsichords galore! the availability on this album (at this writing) is almost impossible to obtain on cd, but is pretty accessible digitally or on vinyl. rumor has it that sundazed is releasing "walk away renee/pretty ballerina" as well as their lesser second lp, "the left banke too" sometime this summer on several mediums!

after the success of "walk away renee/pretty ballerina" michael browne left to join the members of montage (who had just started their musical voyage), where he composed all of the songs and supplied the intricate keyboard parts. this album has more of a progressive feel than the two left banke albums, containing mellotron instead of strings, changing mixed-meter time signatures, atonality, and complicated rhythms. think the moody blues and the left banke's love child. the songs are also more sophisticated lyrically, occasionally coming across as a bit pretentious

Grand Pianist - Montage

some of the highlights for me are: "i shall call her mary" which sounds like a song off of an association album, "grand pianist" (my personal favorite) which could have easily been performed by the turtles, and "men building sand" with its marriage between dissonance and melodic bliss. the entire album is near perfection, and i would easily place this on my "desert island album list." this album (as are the left banke albums) is getting difficult to find on cd (it was discontinued from the sundazed catalogue, but can still be found on ebay, amazon market place, etc.). i purchased this album with high expectations, as i was aware of michael browne's association with the band, and it exceeded them tenfold! if you don't own either "walk away renee/pretty ballerina" and "montage" treat yourself to a wonderful listening experience.

-jensen