The First

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The Dude & I

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Not even sure I should admit this because of the effect it might have on my man/hip cred score (which I would guess is somewhere in the low 60s), but up until last week I had never seen 'The Big Lebowski.' I don't know why its taken me over 11 years to see the movie. If you knew me you'd figured I would have seen the movie long ago, maybe even in the theater. It seems like my kind of movie. And it was. I love this movie. Its not a Top 10 movie. Yet. But it could get there with some more viewings. The cast is perfect, the script is divine, the music is amazing. I'm just waiting for the first time I can use "You're out of your element Donnie" at work, and I was humming 'Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)' in the shower this morning. [Which is a Kenny Rogers & First Edition song?!? Really.] Now I have to start working on some of the other movies that some how slipped passed me.
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The Kinks, Muswell Hillbillies

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When you think about best bands of the British Invasion you start with the Beatles. After they opened the door, the next two mentioned are The Rolling Stones and The Who. When you get to the next level, things start getting fuzzy. Who's next? The Yardbirds? No. You can probably name more guitarists than songs from the Yardbirds. The Hollies? No. The Zombies? Nope. Hermans Hermits? Who? How about the Kinks? They always seem to be forgotten. Why? For one, they don't have any lasting A+ rock song. Where's their "Won't Get Fooled Again" or "Sympathy For the Devil" or "A Day in the Life"? They also don't have that classic album. In fact, can you name a Kinks album? While their roots are sunk in American blues (like the Stones & the Who), by the time 60s ended the Kinks were running the other way, towards traditional English folk. While the Stones & the Who were recording classic albums ( Beggars Banquet , Sticky Fingers , Who's N...
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Free Records!!

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The Band - Cahoots (1971) The Band's fourth album has more in common with its previous release Stage Fright  (especially lyrically) then its first two albums, but still sounds like the Band. Having departed from the story telling of the first two albums, the themes on Cahoots  are more personal, echoing where the band was at the time. Robbie Robertson was taking over as the main songwriter, taking sole credit on 8 of the 11 songs and co writing two others. The shared lead vocals of Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and Rick Danko are still there, as are the rich textures that Garth Hudson cons from his Lowrey and, as always, Robbie Robertson trying to find a way in with his guitar parts. Cooler than the B-3? Maybe, the beard does help. The lead track "Life Is A Carvinal" is the bands attack on the phony nature of show business. Helm and Danko get their only co-writing credits of the album here along side the Dixieland horn chart from Allen Toussaint. The highlight of...
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