Category: Music

Petula Hangover

There’s an Ed Sullivan channel on YouTube, and if Ed were alive to see it he wouldn’t recognize it as a TV channel by his understanding. Most of the material has been added over the past year, presumably after a deal for advertising money was made. There’s now a massive collection available for viewing, restored to the best possible quality.

Petula Clark is very well represented, although there is at least one Sullivan appearance I know of that’s missing. I stayed up much too late a couple of nights ago, indulging my Petula crush. My father bought our 23″ RCA color console in August, 1967, making this appearance the first time I saw Petula on TV in color.

That performance is typical of Petula’s American TV appearances. A couple of months earlier she was taped, apparently in Quebec, being much more herself, delightfully bouncy and flirtatious. This was typical of her style when performing in France, where they called her Sexy Pet before she joined the British Invasion of America.

P.S. I found the one I thought was missing. It was posted back in March. That dress must have been uncomfortable and/or hot, because the moment the song is done she starts taking it off. Maybe it’s a costume change to another number, but if so I don’t know it.

Curated by R. Crumb

Let’s join Robert in his living room in France. He’s playing DJ with selections from his collection of 78 rpm shellac records, and chatting with fellow collector John Heneghan.

https://eastriverstringband.com/radioshow/index.php/2021/08/01/otrs-121-r-crumbs-record-room-part-52-wacky-records-from-the-1920s/

Here’s blog follower mih, admiring some Crumb creations.

R. Crumb’s Underground

A Salty Dog Rat

As a former radio DJ, the temptation is great for me to feature even more music here than I do. The mood that Procol Harum’s “A Salty Dog” evokes is unsettling in a way that, for me, has never been matched.

I first knew Salty from this live recording. A high school friend played it for me the summer after we graduated, and its effect was both powerful and hypnotic. It felt like I was remembering a past life as a sailor on a doomed ship centuries ago. I immediately bought a copy of the album.

Another Drumming Death

Taking a cue from Keith Moon’s fate, a running gag in This is Spinal Tap is that all of the band’s drummers meet an untimely end. Fortunately, Charlie Watts lived to age 79, as did Iron Butterfly’s drummer Ron Bushy, who has also passed away. Bushy’s legacy is assured, thanks to his legendary drum solo in their most famous recording.