RIP Series - Kenny Rogers

I guess he knew when to fold 'em.  Ruby has taken her love elsewhere as she's now free to take it into town.

My record collection only has one title by him - the anti-drug novelty hit Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).   

If you have seen Kenny Rogers recently, you can easily recognize the effects of too much plastic surgery.   I live near Beverly Hills  - home to the look of perpetual astonishment.   I am familiar with the ill effects.  So if the tangible remains of Mr Rogers are cremated (insert Kenny Rogers Roasters pun here), What will happen to his face?

I seriously want to know.

Living Under a Stay At Home Order

The State of California is under lockdown.  My wife and I are both working from home.   Fortunately we're getting along just fine, but I imagine many Californians face one of two extremes.

Rolling on the floor is one option (and my preference).

On the other hand, you may be getting on each other's nerves. 

If you have stir crazy kids at home  - God help you!

On the plus side, since I'm working from home, I can play records while I work.   Wireless headphones help if my wife needs quiet or gets on a call.

Elastic Oz Band

In 1971, UK underground magazine Oz faced an obscenity trial for publishing a cartoon that would be considered mild today.  John Lennon, being the activist that he was, put out this single to fund their defense.

Elastic Oz Band - God Save Us/Do the Oz (Apple 1971)

Originally written as God Save Oz, the the title was changed to God Save Us as it was felt the US would have no idea what they were talking about.   Lennon didn't sing it as it would have competed with his Power to the People release.   It did not chart.  

By The Time We Got Around to Exploiting Woodstock

Some bands that appeared at Woodstock came from obscurity and returned to obscurity after the festival.  Some were able to use their showcase at Woodstock as a springboard to stardom.

Here's an obscure one......

Bert Sommer.   He went on third after Richie Havens and Sweetwater.  You remember one of them from his appearance in the movie - right?  How about the other.

So Bert goes on third on the opening 'folk day.'  As accounts have it, he received the first standing ovation after performing Simon and Garfunkel's America.  No film exists because his bow tie was not a camera.

Bert was managed by Artie Kornfeld which is how he got to the festival in the first place.    He wrote a song about the festival. It was not stardust.  It was not golden.

Bert Sommer - It's a Beautiful Day/We're All Playing in the Same Band (Eleuthera 1970)

He went on to join Captain Kool and The Kongs for kids TV.

Shadows of the Knight

The Shadows of the Knight hailed from Chicago. They charted regionally in 1966 with garage band cover of Them's Gloria.  Their follow up single, a cover of Bo Diddley's Oh Yeah was featured on the first Nuggets compilation by Lenny Kaye.

They vanished, but resurfaced in 1968 with this awesome single.


The Shadows of the Knight  - Shake/From Way Out to Way Under (Team 1968)

RIP Series - Andy Gill

Andy Gill - the guitar player for Gang of Four has died.  Gang of Four was one of the best bands of the UK post-punks.  His abrasive style weaved in and out of the band's sparse bass/drum sound creative a distinctive sound attributed to no other....

Their lyrics were often topical and could be considered political

Their last single before the drummer was replaced by a machine is no exception.

Gang of Four - To Hell With Poverty/Capital (It Fails Us Now)  (EMI 1981) 

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RIP Series - David Roback

David Roback, influential guitarist from the daftly named Los Angeles Paisley Underground scene, is the first to join the RIP series in 2020.

He first surfaced in The Rain Parade whose first record, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, still gets a regular spin in Casa Dunton.  He left that band after the first record and shortly thereafter participated in the Paisley Underground happening record Rainy Day. 

The next chapter teamed him with Kendra Smith from The Dream Syndicate forming the band Opal.

Their one and only album is a stunner

Opal  - Happy Nightmare Baby (SST 1987)

If you can imagine a sound part T.Rex, part Velvet Underground, part Hendrix, part trippy Pink Floyd with a vocal by Nico, this is what you would get.

During a tour to promote this album opening for The Jesus and Mary Chain, Kendra Smith left the band.   (Rumor at the time had her living in a cave.  This was probably far from the truth, but I like to believe it anyway.)    She was replaced by Hope Sandoval and the band was renamed Mazzy Star. 

Mazzy Star went on to release a few more albums, but in my opinion, nothing could top Happy Nightmare Baby.