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ELVIS' "COMEBACK" 1968 TV SPECIAL, "IF I CAN DREAM"

1/7/2015

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ELVIS’ “COMEBACK” TV SPECIAL, 1968: “IF I CAN DREAM”

By Alan L. Chrisman

Elvis Presley was born on Jan. 8, 1935, so he would have been 80 years old.

In 1968, he appeared on TV for his “Comeback” Concert.  The Beatles and the British Invasion had changed pop music and Elvis seemed somewhat passed by. He hadn’t had a #1 single since 1962.  His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had put him in increasingly worse movies and Elvis had grown bored with them; he wanted be taken seriously as an actor.  His manager had completely run his career since Sam Phillips had discovered him at his Sun Studios and had sold him to RCA Records.  Elvis had been releasing less and less rock songs (John Lennon said his hero, had “died” after he went in the army) and more and more mainly watered- down ballads and forgettable songs from his movies.  Elvis’ popularity was declining and so were his sales. Parker had always rejected having Elvis on TV the past several years, but even he knew, they had to something.

So the idea of a TV Special was considered.  Elvis was reluctant to perform live again. His last concert had been in Hawaii in 1961.  The TV show was originally conceived with a gospel–influenced section, a mini-documentary based around the song, “guitar man”, and more lavish-set pieces. But the producer, Stephen Binder, noticed that Elvis felt most comfortable warming up in his dressing room jamming with members of his band doing blues and informal versions of some of his old songs.  It was Binder’s idea to film also a part in front of a live audience with them seated all around the singer and his musicians.

In this section, Elvis is seen dressed in a leather outfit and playing with some of his original band from the old days, Scotty Moore, guitars, and D. J. Fontana, percussion (bassist, Bill Black, had died in 1965).  Elvis re-creates several of his hits in a medley. But he still has a sense of humor, even making jokes about himself and his new musical competition, which had changed the face of popular music.

The Special was shown on NBC TV on Dec. 3, 1968 originally as a Christmas-time special and a soundtrack, some pre-recorded before, was also released.  To everyone’s surprise, it was the highest–rated TV special that year and the album became his biggest selling one in years.  One of the singles from the special and the album was especially written for Elvis to end the show , the hopeful and  almost–gospel song, “If I Can Dream”.  When Tom Parker had first heard it, he said, “This  ain’t Elvis’ kind of song”, but Elvis said after hearing it, “I’m never going to sing another song I don’t believe in and I’m never going to make another picture I don’t want to do.”  It was partly based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous quote, and was released just two months after King had been assassinated in 1968.   Elvis, after the glowing reception to the Special and album, would go on after this boost of confidence to tour America, play Las Vegas, and choose better songs and to have another #1 hit, “Suspicious Minds” in 1969.  

The TV Special is generally credited with re-vitalizing his career.  Elvis had shown that he still had it and his humor and charisma were still there. It truly was Elvis’ “comeback”, as it was later dubbed.

Elvis doing” If I Can Dream” from his 1968 TV “Comeback” Special:

http://youtu.be/D2VSxOiUm50

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2VSxOiUm50

 


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"VENUS" , SHOCKING BLUE, BANANARAMA

1/6/2015

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“VENUS”, SHOCKING BLUE, BANANARAMA
(&The STRANGE CONNECTION BETWEEN “VENUS”, JIMI HENDRIX, & THE MAMA’S AND PAPA’S!)

By Alan L. Chrisman


“Venus” (You Got It) was a #1 hit for Dutch group, Shocking Blue in 1970 and sold 7.5 million copies worldwide.  Then in 1986, all-female band, Bananarama, also had a hit with it again. S

Shocking Blue’s guitarist, Robbie van Leeuwen wrote the lyrics and their singer, Mariska Veres sang the lead.  But it has quite an interesting story.  It’s an exact copy of a previous 1963 song “The Banjo Song” by the folk group, The Big 3. It was actually written by one of its members, Tim Rose. It contains the same guitar rift, bassline and melody as Shocking Blue’s “Venus”. Rose had also had a local hit with a slowed down-version of the song, ”Hey Joe”.  Keith Richard’s girlfriend at the time, had suggested it for Jimi Hendrix’ to his manager, Chas Chandler (formerly of The Animals). It had already been recorded by the classic San Francisco band, Love, and many others, but as a fast version and it would later become a sort of anti-Vietnam war song in the 60’s, “Hey Joe” (‘where you going with that gun?’).  Hendrix went to see Rose perform it in a small club in New York and adopted Rose’s angry slowed–down version and Hendrix’s became the most famous version.

But also out of that short-lived folk group, The Big 3, was also to come Cass Elliot (Mama Cass) of the Mamas and The Papa’s along with Jim Hendricks (not Jimi Hendrix) who wrote Johnny Rivers’ hit, “Summer Rain”.  John Phillips, leader of the Mama’s and the Papa’s, was earlier in a band with Tim Rose. Phillips was then in The Journeymen with Scott McKenzie who sang the hippie anthem, “San Francisco (‘wear flowers in your hair’) which Phillips wrote.

John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky (Canadian) late rof The Lovin’ Spoonful, were in a related folk band with later Papa, Denny Doherty ( another Canadian) of the time called The Mugwumps. This convoluted story of these later famous musicians’ connections is recounted in the Mama’s and Papa’s song, “Creeque Alley.”

So there is a strange connection between the song” Venus” and Jimi Hendrix and The Mama’s and The Papa’s!

Shocking Blue doing their 1970 hit, “Venus”:

http://youtu.be/8LhkyyCvUHk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhkyyCvUHk

“Hey Joe”, slowed-down 1967 Tim Rose version which Hendrix electrified:

http://youtu.be/u9Fe1kR-xvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Fe1kR-xvw

The Mama’s and the Papa’s, “Creeque Alley”, in which they describe   above mentioned musicians’ early connections:

http://youtu.be/_E3VqmyNgVU?list=PL6B825E13E2587863

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E3VqmyNgVU&list=PL6B825E13E2587863

 

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"THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN': NANCY SINATRA/LEE HAZELWOOD

1/5/2015

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“THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN”: NANCY SINATRA/LEE HAZELWOOD

By Alan L. Chrisman


In the mid-1960’s Frank Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy, had several pop hits all written and produced by Lee Hazelwood.  Hazelwood basically created her whole “sound.” In 1966, Nancy Sinatra had a giant hit with his, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.”  Later it would be covered by many bands, over the years, from pop to punk.  Ironically, it became somewhat of a feminist statement, ahead of its time, with its attitude (I think at the time, most guys anyway, probably bought her albums mainly for the sexy covers of her dressed in tight mini-skirts and go-go boots).  Nancy Sinatra, at that point, was considered more of an actress than a singer, having appeared in the Elvis movie, Speedway and Wild Angels with Peter Fonda.  But Hazelwood knew how to write catchy, distinctive songs to go with her image. They followed that up with other songs he wrote for her:  “Summer Wine”, “How Does That Grab Ya, Darling?”, “Sugar Town”, and on “Jackson” and “Some Velvet Morning”, he added his baritone male voice.  Nancy Sinatra later sang a title song for James Bond’s You Only Live Twice and her cover of Cher’s “Bang  Bang” was used in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Vol. One.

All her hits had that Hazelwood production, something that he had actually developed in the 50’s.  For he had also developed the echo-production sound (originally Hazelwood couldn’t afford an echo chamber, so he used a 2000 gallon water tank) to capture the sound for which “twangy” guitarist, Duane Eddy, became known, with a string of instrumental hits, “ Peter Gunn”, “ Boss Guitar”, “Rebel Rouser” and Guitar Man.”

After Nancy Sinatra’s hits, he produced another big hit, a duet with her dad, Frank, “Something Stupid” in 1967, as well as the soundtrack to Frank Sinatra’s film Tony Rome and wrote Dean Martin’s hit, “Houston.”  The theme which Paul Shaffer plays on The David Letterman Show for their regular feature “small town news” is actually taken from Hazelwood’s song, “This Town”.  Hazelwood also produced Graham Parson’s 1st album with The International Submarine Band, Safe At Home, before parsons left to join The Byrds.  By the 1970’s, Hazelwood had moved to Sweden, but he had a unique production sound.

Below Nancy Sinatra doing her Lee Hazelwood-written and produced 1966 hit, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin”:

http://youtu.be/SbyAZQ45uww

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww

Also below Duane Eddy’s “twangy” guitar sound, “Rebel Rouser” on David Letterman Show:

http://youtu.be/ABKE9lDPQX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABKE9lDPQX4

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Lee Hazelwood also produced Duane Eddy's "twangy" guitar hits, before he wrote and produced Nancy Sinatra's hits
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CHRIS ROCK'S Film TOP FIVE: TODAY'S ANNIE HALL

1/2/2015

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CHRIS ROCK’S TOP FIVE FILM: TODAY’S ANNIE HALL
Reviewed by Alan L. Chrisman

Over New Years, I saw Chris Rock’s new film, Top Five. Some critics have called it a black Woody Allen film and have compared it to Allen’s classic film, Annie Hall, from 1977.   If Woody Allen had been black instead of white and Jewish, and was making a statement about our 2014/15 world, he might have made a similar film such as this one.  Like Allen’s, it also uses the streets of New York City as it’s backdrop.  But it’s both a romantic-comedy and a satire of our current media and celebrity–obsessed world.

It’s the story of a former stand-up comedian and comic actor, Andre Allen, played by Chris Rock, who wants to make more serious social statements in his work (he has become famous and successful dressed as “Hammy the Bear” in a series of mindless popular movies).   Andre has just made a political film about the Haitian Revolution, but his fans and the media are more interested in his light comedies. On top of this, he’s also about to marry a reality-TV star, Erica (Gabrielle Union), which his managers say will be good for his career.

But in order to publicize his serious film, he meets beautiful New York Times reporter, Chelsea Brown, (Rosario Dawson) and gradually all his and his handler’s plans begin to fall apart, at this turning point in his career and life. Reminiscent of Woody Allen’s films again (Chris Rock not only acts in but also wrote and directed Top Five), there are long shots of the two walking around New York having interesting conversations, as they are gradually attracted to each other. But like Allen, he doesn’t make relationships seem easy.   It’s to Rock’s credit that he has also made both main characters flawed as well; they both have some hidden baggage that has to be confronted if their romance is to continue.

Top Five though could only have been made by a cutting-edge and black comic like Chris Rock.  For that’s where the similarities with white comedians and films ends.  Whereas, Woody Allen’s and Jerry Seinfeld’s cerebral and upper and middle–class character comedies and Adam Sandler’s frat –boy humor (both Seinfeld and Sandler make cameo appearances) examine sex and white guilt and hang-ups, Rock’s probes his own black working-class roots.  He takes on directly black culture and stereotypes, even to question their own hang-ups and icons.  He has roles played by several black entertainers from former fellow Saturday Night Live alumnus Tracy Morgan , Cedric the Entertainer,  Kevin Hart, to Whoopi Goldberg.   In fact, Rock pulls no punches even when satirizing his own community- which took a lot of bravery.  He even dares to comment on Oprah’s “noble” black stereotype (Cosby has criticized Rock before for using the word  “nigger” extensively, but we now know Cosby’s own reality)) and Tyler Perry’s  films (in one scene, people are lining up to see Perry’s populist films, but ignoring Rock’s serious Haitian Revolution one).   

Also there are several uncompromising sex scenes and language which, frankly, some white audiences won’t probably appreciate or understand. This is not a film with politically-correct language and politically-correct attitudes, which is rare for liberal Hollywood. This film might be an indication that Rock could well be the inheritor of Richard Pryor’s take-no-prisoners mantle. But it only makes Top Five more authentic.  Instead of making it just a romantic-comedy (which it is partly), he has made it real and better in the process.

There’s no doubt, that like Woody Allen’s films, it’s also largely autobiographical. For Rock, like his character, is at a turning point in his own career and life (just recently Rock announced that he’s divorcing his wife of almost 19 years) and is moving ahead to be a creative writer and a director. Rock says that as a child his parents had him bused out of his poor black neighborhood to attend a mainly white school, but he said it only made him a target for white abuse.  The film could perhaps be somewhat of an homage to Woody Allen (the main character is named Allen). Critics have been giving it good reviews and it’s been nominated for awards and is doing well at the U.S. box office. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 8.5 rating. 

Actually, it also reminds me of two of my other favorite films as well.  Sullivan’s Travels is a classic 1942 film by Preston Sturges staring all-American, Joel McCrea, like Chris Rock’s character, a successful Hollywood director who wants to make socially-relevant films rather than light comedies, until he meets sexy, street-smart Veronica Lake and of another Woody Allen movie besides Annie Hall, 1980’s Stardust Memories.  In that one, Woody plays an again successful film maker who wants to also make more “meaningful” films.  At the end of it, he meets some aliens who, when Allen typically comments about the ‘uselessness of existence’, The aliens , much as Sullivan learned in the ’42 film, advise him to “just make funnier movies” and that that is the best thing he can do for the world. Rock comes to a similar conclusion in his Top Five film.

It’s clear, that Chris Rock was very influenced by these above classic films in subject, plot and characterization.  Like all good artists, which this movie shows he has the potential of becoming, as well as an entertainer, Rock has learned from those who’ve gone before him, but has made it into something new again while commenting on our current society and current relationships.  While some of the scenes and humor will make sense especially to his community, like Woody Allen, he’s also tapped into some very universal human experiences with which we can all relate and that’s why Top Five is so strongly recommended.

Below trailer for Chris Rock’s new Top Five Film:

http://youtu.be/wJ0Qhbm3Xj8

 See below Sullivan’s Travels classic 1941 movie with similar themes as Top Five:

http://youtu.be/02A2a-aEvmI

Below Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, 1980, alien’s scene where they advise him to just make “ funnier” movies:

http://youtu.be/CQ-I2qa0ZQY

 

 

 


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    Alan Chrisman went to Purdue U. and U. of Ill.(International Relations), came to Canada, was influenced by The Beatles, and became involved in many aspects of music and writing.

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