Music – Page 122 – Prattling Before the Pratfall

Astrid

To anyone familiar with Beatles history, just saying the name “Astrid” speaks volumes. Astrid Kirchherr has died, closing yet another point of contact into appreciating the most fascinating musical and cultural phenomenon of the 20th century.

Depending on your level of interest, there are plenty of places to read about Astrid, so I don’t need to go into any details here, but the most exhaustive telling of her significance is found in Mark Lewisohn’s book Tune In.

Here are some of Astrid’s candid photographs taken during the filming of A Hard Day’s Night, featuring my wonderful friend Prue.

Sitting around between takes, with Prue’s hair still pinned up by stylist Betty Glasow.

A few low-quality scans from the series that Astrid took, showing Prue as I know her, spirited and very funny.

The Song Says It All

I can relate.

All Gassed Up With Nowhere to Go

Under the Covid lockdown it took a long time to use up half a tank of gas, just driving back and forth to the grocery store twice each week. I couldn’t believe the price to fill the tank — only $1.38/gallon!

Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider died recently. I don’t have any Kraftwerk records, but like most everybody I know “Autobahn”. The single version made it to #25 on the Billboard chart.

Five years after “Autobahn” was Gary Numan’s album “The Pleasure Principle”, with his own electronic auto-related song “Cars”. The single cracked the Billboard top 10, peaking at #9.

https://youtu.be/E4Lo-D8NQF0

Doing Doo-Wop

Upon retiring three years ago I bought a new car, a 2017 Toyota Camry XLE. JBL should be ashamed for putting its name on the entertainment system, because the sound quality is mediocre, but at least it includes an XM receiver (Sirius and XM merged, but their satellite technologies are incompatible).

Even before the Covid-19 lockdown I wasn’t doing a lot of driving because, like I said, I’m retired. So most of my SiriusXM listening is at home, online. Something I realized from listening to Cousin Brucie on “60’s on 6” is that his personal preference isn’t for the 60’s songs I heard him play on WABC as a kid. He’s big into Doo-Wop.

I’m still feeling stunned by the passing of Ian Whitcomb. His Luxuriamusic co-host Jim Dawson is someone who knows his Doo-Wop history. Andrew Sandoval, everybody’s friend in 60’s Production Pop music, is a big Dion fan. So put it all together and I’m enjoying a newfound interest in listening to Doo-Wop. Here’s one that Drew Carey played recently on his SiriusXM “Friday Night Freak-Out” show.

Rock and Roll!

Little Richard, one of the founders of Rock and Roll, has died. It’s worth remembering that between Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino, the piano was just as common as the electric guitar in the early days of Rock and Roll.

Tommy Smothers tells a dubious and funny alternate origin of Rock and Roll.