The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

[The Old Mixer]

Rolling Stone is not the great all-seeing of music

Well clearly I respect their opinion more than you do. Also, regarding their methodology:

The lists presented were compiled based on votes from selected rock musicians, critics, and industry figures.

So it's not just a few hacks at the magazine making it up.

I and they hold the White Album in much higher regard than you do, but I'd prefer to hold off on any detailed discussion of the album until it comes up as 50th anniversary business.

ETA: The August episode of Decades Presents: 1968, first airing on Aug. 6 at 9 p.m. EST, will be "The DNC". Once again, the Xfinity info is wrong, listing a repeat of an earlier episode.

 

[RJDiogenes]

BTW...
In practical, production terms, I believe it was considered to be the latter...reviving the show the next TV season with a radical makeover.

Well, either way, I think if they had continued where they left off, with the same cast (and budget) and built on what was introduced in the latter half of the season, the show would probably have a better reputation.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Well clearly I respect their opinion more than you do. Also, regarding their methodology:

So it's not just a few hacks at the magazine making it up.

No, its Beatles Fan Hysteria Mindset Syndrome, which makes some writers (and a few musicians) fail to see glaring problems with the band's work after placing them on a pedestal. Its no different than extremist fans of Game of Thrones, the MCU (Marvel movies) or Elvis--they are celebrated as the next best thing since oxygen and cannot understand it when anyone "dares" to look at the work through a rational, critical lens.

I and they hold the White Album in much higher regard than you do, but I'd prefer to hold off on any detailed discussion of the album until it comes up as 50th anniversary business.

Fair enough.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 55 years ago this week:

1. "Surf City," Jan & Dean
2. "So Much in Love," The Tymes
3. "Fingertips, Pt. 2," Little Stevie Wonder
4. "Easier Said Than Done," The Essex
5. "Wipe Out," The Surfaris

7. "(You're the) Devil in Disguise," Elvis Presley
8. "Blowin' in the Wind," Peter, Paul & Mary
9. "Memphis," Lonnie Mack
10. "Just One Look," Doris Troy
11. "Judy's Turn to Cry," Lesley Gore
12. "Not Me," The Orlons
13. "Pride and Joy," Marvin Gaye
14. "Sukiyaki," Kyu Sakamoto

16. "Candy Girl," The Four Seasons
17. "Ring of Fire," Johnny Cash

22. "My True Confession," Brook Benton
23. "Hello Stranger," Barbara Lewis
24. "Till Then," The Classics
25. "One Fine Day," The Chiffons
26. "Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye," The Shirelles
27. "It's My Party," Lesley Gore
28. "More," Kai Winding & Orchestra
29. "Denise," Randy & The Rainbows

31. "Without Love (There Is Nothing)," Ray Charles

34. "Green, Green," The New Christy Minstrels

41. "Mockingbird," Inez & Charlie Foxx
42. "My Summer Love," Ruby & The Romantics

46. "I (Who Have Nothing)," Ben E. King

51. "Falling," Roy Orbison

53. "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," Nat King Cole
54. "You Can't Sit Down," The Dovells

59. "Twist It Up," Chubby Checker

62. "The Monkey Time," Major Lance

68. "Hey Girl," Freddie Scott

75. "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home," Darlene Love
76. "If I Had A Hammer," Trini Lopez

89. "Frankie and Johnny," Sam Cooke


Leaving the chart:

• "Come and Get These Memories," Martha & The Vandellas
• "Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)," The Crystals
• "From Me to You," Del Shannon
• "Shut Down," The Beach Boys
• "String Along," Rick Nelson

55 Years Ago Spotlight--Currently in the process of falling off the chart, a song that uses the pre-counterculture meaning of the word "hippie" (0:35+):

"You Can't Sit Down," The Dovells

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(Charted Apr. 27, 1963; #3 US; #10 R&B)

Lyric search results claim that they're singing "hip beat," but I'm still hearing "hippie". And note that the verse appears to be referencing another recent hit that also used the word, which I think I mentioned somewhere upthread:

"South Street," The Orlons

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(Charted Feb. 16, 1963; #3 US; #4 R&B)

And some lyric search results for that one turn up "hippest" as the word. But the Wiki page for the word "hippie" backs me up on this:

The word hippie was also used in reference to Philadelphia in at least two popular songs in 1963: South Street by The Orlons, and You Can't Sit Down by The Dovells. In both songs, the term is applied to residents of Philadelphia's South Street.

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Catch-Up Viewing

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12 O'Clock High
"The Ace"
Originally aired December 9, 1966

A top notch aging bomber pilot is called in to surgically bomb a house of German scientists working on atomic weapon plans, nestled next to a building of allied POW's.

My brief review from last year:

12 O'Clock High
"The Ace"
Originally aired December 9, 1966
And not just any research, but some of that there new-fangled ay-tomic research!

Precision bombing...human shields...a story that took place further in the past than when it was made, but was ahead of its time.

Ooh, the guest colonel gets a B-25...fancy. The trusty B-17 has more character, though...I love how you can see the turret moving around right there in the cockpit.

Being a Trek fan, I couldn't help being distracted by the fact that Colonel Connelly's oft-used nickname was the first syllable of his surname. If only the Shat had put in an appearance....

General Britt is back...I suspect that the mixing of Doud episodes and Britt episodes may be an airdate order vs. production order thing, and that the Doud episodes may have been filmed consecutively at the end.

Joe Maross makes the first of two appearances as a Brig. Gen. Chandler at bomber command; he'll be back in "Graveyard".

The audience sees before anyone else that "Con" (James Whitmore) seems to have lost his nerve; he has shaky hands and is missing his targets in Act II practice runs; on his first actual run, he has trouble finding the target visually...and then he hits the wrong building. He then gets sore with Gallagher because Axis Sally is broadcasting that Connelly was responsible for the botched mission, and he blames her knowing that on "loudmouth" Joe, whom he slugs. Con is diagnosed as suffering from combat fatigue, so it falls to Gallagher to retry the mission using Con's skip-bombing technique. Con still wants to do the mission and tries to sucker-punch Gallagher again in the cockpit, but Joe sees it coming this time. The persistent Con then follows the group in a Mustang, guides Gallagher to the target, and protects the B-25 from some German fighters. The Epilog teases that Connelly's been lost, only to reveal his rescue.

Despite all that drama, the episode still seems a wee bit padded with its use of unnecessary omniscient cuts to the German research facility to fill time.

The planning stages for the precision bombing run involve studying a model of the target site:

It's a beautiful day in the target zone,
a beautiful day for a target.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

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The Monkees
"Dance, Monkee, Dance"
Originally aired December 12, 1966

The Monkees sign up for lessons at Renaldo's Dance Au Go Go (Hal March), and then find out that their contracts are for life.

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A red telephone under a transparent jar...could that be a reference to something...?

We're back to Peter being conned and Mike being the one who figures it out...though Mike winds up getting persuaded to sign up himself. Davy's the smart one here, getting on the inside as an instructor. Can a contract make people show up for dance lessons?

First song: "I’ll Be Back Up on My Feet" (10:57+)

The ultimate fourth wall-breaking moment: Micky walks offset to talk to the writers.

Second song: "I'm a Believer" (19:42+)

This time it's "Black Label by Yardley" popping up in the closing credits...evidently an aftershave that the Monkees were doing commercials for:

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12 O'Clock High
"Six Feet Under"
Originally aired December 16, 1966

Gallagher is on allied captured base in Belgium in danger of being overran, with a boy that refuses to help him translate a wealth of German documents.

Lost in translation from the original Belgian, apparently. And Belgium looks in no way A LOT like Southern California.

12 O'Clock High
"Six Feet Under"
Originally aired December 16, 1966
Martin Milner! Doing a non-driving role in the gap between Route 66 and Adam-12. Alas, when they had him telling Gallagher about his life back home, I should have seen that he wasn't going to be making it out of the episode alive.

Still more role-stretching to keep the regulars in the action--This week Gallagher's overseeing the gathering of intelligence on the front lines in Europe. And who's commanding the bombing raids from a B-17 in Gallagher's absence, you ask? Why none other than Richard Anderson's brigadier general!

Also featuring Lawrence Montaigne (Decius, "Balance of Terror"; Stonn, "Amok Time) as German Corporal; and Rudy Solari (Salish, "The Paradise Syndrome"); in addition to series regular Frank Overton.

Other guests mentioned in my original review can be found here.

This week's drama stems from Major Dimscek (Milner)'s uncertainty about his unit trying to hold the German facility long enough for Gallagher to figure out what documents need to be taken without anyone on hand who reads German. To up the ante, once they've gotten the local boy's help and think they have what they need, they discover a hidden safe. Dimscek winds up buying it in Act III while Gallagher and Komansky are trying to figure out a way to blow the safe.

Montaigne's German corporal is little more than a random plot complication in the first couple acts.

Doud leads an air strike on the surrounding German armor units at Gallagher's request, with Stovall as his co-pilot. Richard Anderson (reportedly 6'4") is noticeably taller than Frank Overton when they're shot standing next to each other.

In Act IV, our heroes have to rescue the local kids when they're trapped in a chamber of the castle.

The character arc of the local boy Emile, who wants to hate the Americans but finds their behavior admirable, might perhaps be a commentary on youth attitudes of the time.

Overall, with so much jeopardy but relatively light drama, this feels something like an hour-long Rat Patrol episode.

Emile's friend or younger brother (didn't catch which) is played by Jean-Michel Michenaud, who's popped up on That Girl and The Rat Patrol.

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Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 51 years ago this week:

1. "Light My Fire," The Doors
2. "I Was Made to Love Her," Stevie Wonder
3. "Windy," The Association
4. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Frankie Valli
5. "A Whiter Shade of Pale," Procol Harum
6. "Little Bit o' Soul," The Music Explosion
7. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," The Buckinghams
8. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane
9. "Up, Up and Away," The 5th Dimension
10. "C'mon Marianne," The Four Seasons
11. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," Scott McKenzie
12. "I Take It Back," Sandy Posey
13. "Come on Down to My Boat," Every Mother's Son

15. "Here We Go Again," Ray Charles
16. "Carrie-Anne," The Hollies
17. "Silence Is Golden," The Tremeloes
18. "Soul Finger," The Bar-Kays
19. "A Girl Like You," The Young Rascals

21. "Make Me Yours," Bettye Swann
22. "For Your Love," Peaches & Herb
23. "More Love," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
24. "Pleasant Valley Sunday," The Monkees
25. "I Like the Way," Tommy James & The Shondells
26. "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," Janis Ian
27. "Don't Sleep in the Subway," Petula Clark
28. "My Mammy," The Happenings
29. "All You Need Is Love," The Beatles
30. "Hypnotized," Linda Jones

32. "To Love Somebody," Bee Gees

34. "Don't Go Out into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)," Herman's Hermits
35. "Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," Bunny Sigler

38. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
39. "Step Out of Your Mind," The American Breed
40. "Let's Live for Today," The Grass Roots

42. "Alfie," Dionne Warwick
43. "(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments
44. "You Only Live Twice," Nancy Sinatra

46. "Words," The Monkees
47. "Baby, I Love You," Aretha Franklin
48. "Thank the Lord for the Night Time," Neil Diamond
49. "The Tracks of My Tears," Johnny Rivers

52. "Pictures of Lily," The Who

58. "Cold Sweat, Part 1," James Brown

60. "Bluebird," Buffalo Springfield

64. "Baby You're a Rich Man," The Beatles

67. "You Keep Me Hangin' On," The Vanilla Fudge

71. "Come Back When You Grow Up," Bobby Vee & The Strangers

74. "You're My Everything," The Temptations
75. "Glory of Love," Otis Redding

78. "Brown Eyed Girl," Van Morrison

81. "Fakin' It," Simon & Garfunkel

83. "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie," Jay & The Techniques

95. "The Look of Love," Dusty Springfield


Leaving the chart:

• "Ding, Dong! The Witch Is Dead," The Fifth Estate
• "For Your Precious Love," Oscar Toney, Jr.
• "My World Fell Down," Sagittarius
• "Omaha," Moby Grape
• "She'd Rather Be with Me," The Turtles

I skipped posting this one last year because there was no video available. Though it happens to not be one of my favorite Fab forays, now's a good time to rectify that.

"Baby You're a Rich Man," The Beatles

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(B-side of "All You Need Is Love"; #34 US)

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Decades sometimes pulls its own scheduling blunders, it seems. I thought I'd already seen this morning's episode of Through the Decades very recently, with its coverage of the respective starts of Dark Shadows and Atari. Turns out they were (re)playing the episode for June 27!

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[RJDiogenes]

"You Can't Sit Down," The Dovells

Not bad, but I'm still sitting down. It's got a bit of that 50s feel to it.

Lyric search results claim that they're singing "hip beat," but I'm still hearing "hippie".

I think this one is "hip beat." It sounds like "you hear the hip beat with a back beat," so it makes sense lyrically.

"South Street," The Orlons

I like this one better, but I'm still sitting down. I do that a lot.

And some lyric search results for that one turn up "hippest" as the word. But the Wiki page for the word "hippie" backs me up on this:

This one sounds more like "hippies," and makes sense grammatically.

Can a contract make people show up for dance lessons?

Maybe it was a leftover plot from Twilight Zone.

12 O'Clock High
"Six Feet Under"

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

In Act IV, our heroes have to rescue the local kids when they're trapped in a chamber of the castle.

If it's not one thing, it's another.

"Baby You're a Rich Man," The Beatles

Not their greatest, certainly, but still a good one.

Decades sometimes pulls its own scheduling blunders, it seems. I thought I'd already seen this morning's episode of Through the Decades very recently, with its coverage of the respective starts of Dark Shadows and Atari. Turns out they were (re)playing the episode for June 27!

They're getting nostalgic for their own nostalgia.

 

[The Old Mixer]

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50 Years Ago This Week

July 29 – Arenal Volcano erupts in Costa Rica for the first time in centuries.
July 30 – Thames Television starts transmission in London.

August 2 - The 7.6 Mw Casiguran earthquake affected the Aurora province in the Philippines with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing at least 207 and injuring 261.

July 31: The Beatles close down the Apple boutique in Baker Street with a giveaway of its remaining stock. Queues form around the block for a chance to grab free clothing. Apple also relinquishes control of its boutique at 161 Kings Road, handing it over to the store manager.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Hello, I Love You," The Doors
2. "Classical Gas," Mason Williams
3. "Stoned Soul Picnic," The 5th Dimension
4. "Grazing in the Grass," Hugh Masekela
5. "Hurdy Gurdy Man," Donovan
6. "Jumpin' Jack Flash," The Rolling Stones
7. "Lady Willpower," Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
8. "The Horse," Cliff Nobles & Co.
9. "Turn Around, Look at Me," The Vogues
10. "Sunshine of Your Love," Cream
11. "Born to Be Wild," Steppenwolf
12. "Pictures of Matchstick Men," The Status Quo
13. "People Got to Be Free," The Rascals
14. "Sky Pilot," Eric Burdon & The Animals
15. "This Guy's in Love with You," Herb Alpert
16. "You Keep Me Hangin' On," The Vanilla Fudge
17. "Journey to the Center of the Mind," The Amboy Dukes
18. "Stay in My Corner," The Dells
19. "Autumn of My Life," Bobby Goldsboro
20. "Dream a Little Dream of Me," Mama Cass w/ The Mamas & The Papas
21. "Indian Lake," The Cowsills
22. "Soul-Limbo," Booker T. & The MG's
23. "The Look of Love," Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
24. "Angel of the Morning," Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts
25. "Here Comes the Judge," Shorty Long
26. "Reach Out of the Darkness," Friend & Lover
27. "Don't Take It So Hard," Paul Revere & The Raiders

29. "Face It Girl, It's Over," Nancy Wilson
30. "Sealed with a Kiss," Gary Lewis & The Playboys

32. "Light My Fire," Jose Feliciano

34. "Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend)," Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart

36. "Never Give You Up," Jerry Butler
37. "Folsom Prison Blues," Johnny Cash
38. "She's a Heartbreaker," Gene Pitney
39. "I Can't Stop Dancing," Archie Bell & The Drells
40. "The Eyes of a New York Woman," B.J. Thomas

42. "I Love You," People
43. "I'm a Midnight Mover," Wilson Pickett

45. "Here Comes the Judge," Pigmeat Markham
46. "MacArthur Park," Richard Harris
47. "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy," Ohio Express
48. "Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon)," The Moody Blues
49. "(Love Is Like a) Baseball Game," The Intruders

53. "1, 2, 3, Red Light," 1910 Fruitgum Co.
54. "You're All I Need to Get By," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

56. "Love Makes a Woman," Barbara Acklin

61. "Do It Again," The Beach Boys

67. "Slip Away," Clarence Carter

83. "Please Return Your Love to Me," The Temptations

Leaving the chart:

• "D. W. Washburn," The Monkees
• "Mony Mony," Tommy James & The Shondells

New on the chart:

"Mr. Businessman," Ray Stevens

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(#28 US; not making the weekly list, but it's a slow week and I thought it might be of some general interest; enters this week at #90)

"Please Return Your Love to Me," The Temptations

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(#26 US; #4 R&B)

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This Week's Scheduled Catch-Up Viewing:

• The Monkees, "Too Many Girls" (Dec. 19, 1966)
• 12 O'Clock High, "The Duel at Mont Sainte Marie" (Dec. 23, 1966)
• The Monkees, "Son of a Gypsy" (Dec. 26, 1966)
• 12 O'Clock High, "Graveyard" (Dec. 30, 1966)

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Not bad, but I'm still sitting down.

I like this one better, but I'm still sitting down. I do that a lot.

I could invoke some Phil Collins, but...no, I won't be doing that.

I think this one is "hip beat." It sounds like "you hear the hip beat with a back beat," so it makes sense lyrically.

I'm not hearing anything like a consonant sound where the B or the T would go. "You hear the hippie with the back beat" makes sense lyrically...the hippie would be the one playing it.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....

Took me a bit.

Not their greatest, certainly, but still a good one.

As for me, it seems that I'm not so hysterical that I unconditionally think it's the best thing ever.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Trying out a new feature, to see if there's any interest. My selective period album buying has gotten to a point where it's pretty much current with 50th anniversary business...I'm now on albums that have recently been released and entered the Billboard albums chart, but have yet to reach their peak. So I thought it might be time to cover them a bit as they come up to further contribute to the immersive retro vibe.

For this post, I'm embedding a video for the first song, then linking them into the song titles for the rest.

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50th Anniversary Album Spotlight

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At Folsom Prison
Johnny Cash
Released April/May 1968
Chart debut: June 15, 1968
Chart peak: #13, Aug. 31, 1968
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_Folsom_Prison#Reception_and_impact

Since its release, it has been acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time by several sources. In 2003, the album was ranked number 88 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Also that year, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. Country Music Television named it the third greatest album in country music in 2006. Blender listed the album as the 63rd greatest American album of all time and as one of the "500 CDs You Must Own". In 2006, Time listed it among the 100 greatest albums of all time. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Outlaw country was invented here.

So we start with a live country album...that's a little outside my usual wheelhouse, but I've already given it a few casual listens, so I'll take a shot at writing something up.

The album was compiled from two performances at Folsom State Prison in California on January 13, 1968. Opening acts included Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers. Cash's set mainly consisted of prison-themed songs...I have to wonder how the prisoners felt about that. On one hand, the selections would have resonated with them...on the other, maybe they would have appreciated a little more diversion from their situation. I understand that some of the audience reactions were dubbed in later because the inmates were very well-behaved under threat of punishment.

Case in point (and the specific instance that I read about), the reaction to the oft-quoted lines "I shot a man in Reno / just to watch him die" in the album's opening song and single "Folsom Prison Blues," which is falling from it peak on the singles chart 50 years ago this week.

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Nevertheless, there's still quite a bit of good "live business" going on that I have to assume is genuine to the original performance. Johnny breaks into laughter during the somber second track, "Dark as the Dungeon," and comments on how the performance is being recorded, then follows up on that bit of business after the song...

Sorry about that li'l interruption there, but I just wanted to tell ya that this show is bein' recorded for an album released on Columbia Records, and you can't say "hell" or BLEEP or anythin' like that.

...which continues into the opening of the melancholy but up-tempo "I Still Miss Someone".

Even more up-tempo is the irreverent "Cocaine Blues," which I read falls into the subgenre of Western Swing. After this number we get another, particularly novel bit of live album business--prisoners being paged by number.

These men have receptions: Matlock, A50632, and Batshelter, A39879, they have receptions.

More cheery material for the audience is "25 Minutes to Go," a minute-per-two-lines countdown that qualifies as a more-literal-than-usual example of gallows humor. This segues into the upbeat train song "Orange Blossom Special," which features some impressive harmonica work that Johnny comments on the difficulty of.

Have ta change harmonicas faster than ta kiss a duck!

It's back to the gallows, sans the humor, with "The Long Black Veil"...though Johnny breaks the tension in the middle of the song again at the line "I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife". The post-song chatter here serves as an early introduction to "Greystone Chapel," which falls at the end of the album. There's also another reception paging.


What used to be Side 2 opens with "Send a Picture of Mother," a bittersweet prison ballad sung from one inmate to another who's gotten a pardon. This is followed by another prison ballad, "The Wall," about a man who lost his life in an escape attempt. I have to wonder at Johnny describing wardens as "mean bastards" in that venue.

"Dirty Old Egg-Suckin' Dog," which I read comes from a novelty album that Johnny did, can't be well-regarded by the ASPCA. After that is another humorous number, "Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart," which consists of a string of colorful metaphors in the same vein as the one in the title. To my relatively untrained ear, this almost sounds like country music parodying itself.

Cash then brings his soon-to-be-wife June Carter onstage to join him in singing "Jackson," which had been a #2 Country hit for the duo the previous year. The Wiki track listing says that she's on "Give My Love to Rose" as well, but I don't hear her singing. This Cash original about a dying man's last requests was a Country hit for him as a B-side in 1957. I think I do hear her backing vocals in the next song, "I Got Stripes". As one might have guessed, this is another prison song, albeit an up-tempo one.

"Green, Green Grass of Home" I'm familiar with from the Tom Jones version, which was recently a resident of my 51st anniversary playlist for a few months. This one has a nice twist when you realize that it's a prison song, with the inmate pining for a home that he won't visit again until he's freed by death.

The album closes with the aforementioned "Greystone Chapel," written by Folsom inmate Glen Sherley and arranged by Cash specifically for this performance. In it, the songwriter expresses the importance of faith in dealing with his imprisonment. After the song, there's a flourish of instrumental music followed by some announcements, including an ovation for Johnny's attending father. I'd like to know exactly what the memento is that Johnny's receives...clearly something prison-specific.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting and engaging listen. Cash was pretty much the face of country music when I was a kid in the '70s, and this album gives one a good idea why. While this wasn't his first performance at a prison, it was the first to be recorded for an album, a career-revitalizing success that he'd revisit for 1969's At San Quentin, which would produce his biggest hit, "A Boy Named Sue".

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[RJDiogenes]

"Mr. Businessman," Ray Stevens

I like songs with meaning, but talk about preachy.

"Please Return Your Love to Me," The Temptations

Not bad, but nothing great.

I'm not hearing anything like a consonant sound where the B or the T would go. "You hear the hippie with the back beat" makes sense lyrically...the hippie would be the one playing it.

It seems to me to match the flow better, but maybe that's just because it would be more my style.

Took me a bit.

As for me, it seems that I'm not so hysterical that I unconditionally think it's the best thing ever.

Well, that would be pretty funny.

I understand that some of the audience reactions were dubbed in later because the inmates were very well-behaved under threat of punishment.

Well, that's very disappointing. Especially since the audience reactions are the main reason that I don't care for live music so much.

After this number we get another, particularly novel bit of live album business--prisoners being paged by number.

Hopefully, "reception" is a metaphor for "conjugal visit" and not a reception from the hangman.

I have to wonder at Johnny describing wardens as "mean bastards" in that venue.

Some may take it as a compliment.

I'd like to know exactly what the memento is that Johnny's receives...clearly something prison-specific.

A shiv? A file? A poster of Rita Hayworth?

 

[The Old Mixer]

I like songs with meaning, but talk about preachy.

An insightful reaction. Ray Stevens is somebody who isn't in my collection but I've sort of had my eye on, considering if I wanted to change that. Too many higher-charting novelty songs that aren't necessarily to my liking to dig this deep into him.

Not bad, but nothing great.

This is the part where I hype that the Temptations' sonic makeover is coming with their next single, later this year. Hope I haven't oversold it, but I'm looking forward to the change.

Well, that's very disappointing. Especially since the audience reactions are the main reason that I don't care for live music so much.

I've never been big on live recordings myself, but that calls to mind one noteworthy exception...a performance of "Mull of Kintyre" recorded at a concert in Glasgow that was an extra track on one of Paul's ca. 1990 CD singles. The audience reaction when the pipe band comes out is priceless, and helped me to better appreciate the song in general.

Hopefully, "reception" is a metaphor for "conjugal visit" and not a reception from the hangman.

More likely an ordinary visit. "Gee, Ma, thanks for the carton o' cigarettes an' all, but Johnny Cash is playin'...."

A poster of Rita Hayworth?

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[CorporalCaptain]

oldBSG: "Saga of a Star World" 3/3.

They saved Cassiopeia, and Muffit too! Purple and Orange Squadrons to the rescue!

Cliffhanger: Will or won't Cassiopeia be charging Starbuck office rates in the future?

 

[The Old Mixer]

Cliffhanger: Will or won't Cassiopeia be charging Starbuck office rates in the future?

IIRC, the point became moot...they quickly turned her into a nurse and ignored her original profession.

 

[RJDiogenes]

This is the part where I hype that the Temptations' sonic makeover is coming with their next single, later this year. Hope I haven't oversold it, but I'm looking forward to the change.

Oh, yeah, they have some great stuff on the way in the 70s.

I've never been big on live recordings myself, but that calls to mind one noteworthy exception...a performance of "Mull of Kintyre" recorded at a concert in Glasgow that was an extra track on one of Paul's ca. 1990 CD singles. The audience reaction when the pipe band comes out is priceless, and helped me to better appreciate the song in general.

I've got the Boss's huge live multi-album from a few decades ago, which is notable for some stuff like acoustic versions of "Thunder Road" and "No Retreat, No Surrender." Plus the personal anecdotes that he shares between songs (including a great story about getting drafted). But for the most part I prefer that artists go into the studio and get it right before letting me listen.

More likely an ordinary visit. "Gee, Ma, thanks for the carton o' cigarettes an' all, but Johnny Cash is playin'...."

Bad timing.

They saved Cassiopeia, and Muffit too! Purple and Orange Squadrons to the rescue!

Something about insect people, if I recall. It all seemed kind of random.

IIRC, the point became moot...they quickly turned her into a nurse and ignored her original profession.

One of my disappointments the first time around. If it's one thing that a rag-tag fugitive fleet is going to need, it's a socialator.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

IIRC, the point became moot...they quickly turned her into a nurse and ignored her original profession.

The questions of Maren Jensen's acting ability and of whatever role her health might have played (as accounts circulating the Internet claim) aside, Athena as scripted is a thankless role. One minute you have her leaving her post on the bridge and running out onto the flight deck into danger to hug Starbuck after he barely makes it back, later you have her hiding semi-nude behind a locker door telling Starbuck that she doesn't care about him, and then, after he moves on, there she is throwing herself at Starbuck again, as if he has no choice but to reciprocate. She didn't do much of anything really in "Saga" besides that, except cry.

I can see why they made Cassiopeia a nurse, because Starbuck is going to have to get treated for whiplash!

Something about insect people, if I recall. It all seemed kind of random.

Yeah, they were called Ovions. Of all the people who were taken for food, Cassiopeia was the only one saved and saved right before she was sealed up in a chamber, which was definitely kind of random. They didn't even discuss trying to save anyone else in the sealed chambers, or if they did I missed it, though clearly at least one of those had been eaten by a baby Ovion.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Monkees
"Dance, Monkee, Dance"
Originally aired December 12, 1966

Featuring the first of only two airings of the TV version "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet" (incorrectly credited on TV as ""I'll Be Back On My Feet Again") with the other airing in "The Monkees in the Ring" (Originally aired 1/30/1967). The "Dance. Monkee, Dance" sequence of the group in various dance routines would be featured prominently in the main title of season two.

The song would be re-recorded for The Monkees' fifth album, The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees (released 4/1968), with this original version finally getting an official release some 24 years later on Rhino's Missing Links Volume Two in January of 1990.

A red telephone under a transparent jar...could that be a reference to something...?

Yep!

Look for more Bat-satire in:

• "The Case of the Missing Monkee" (Original airdate: 1/9/1967) - Micky (in mock serious voice) calls for the "Bat-hook".
• "Captain Crocodile" (Original airdate: 2/20/1967). "Frogman and Rueben the Tadpole" full-on Batman satire / fantasy sequence.
• "The Monkees Blow their Minds" (Original airdate: 3/11/1968). Burgess Meredith makes an uncredited appearance as a Penguin-sounding patron of a nightclub sans the Penguin's prosthetic nose and black wig.

We're back to Peter being conned and Mike being the one who figures it out...though Mike winds up getting persuaded to sign up himself. Davy's the smart one here, getting on the inside as an instructor.

Yeah, Peter being the TV version of Huntz "Sach" Hall.

Can a contract make people show up for dance lessons?

Sure, if its a true legal document.

The ultimate fourth wall-breaking moment: Micky walks offset to talk to the writers.

Always funny, and though each Monkee was great at breaking the fourth wall, none did it better than Micky.

This time it's "Black Label by Yardley" popping up in the closing credits...evidently an aftershave that the Monkees were doing commercials for:

Ha! That jingle, "Some guys have it..some guys never will!" What a message to send!

Emile's friend or younger brother (didn't catch which) is played by Jean-Michel Michenaud, who's popped up on That Girl and The Rat Patrol.

...and on two Irwin Allen series: The Time Tunnel's pilot, "Rendezvous with Yesterday" (ABC - 9/9/1966) and Land of the Giants' "Terror-Go-Round" (ABC - 11/3/1968). His brother Pat also appeared on the same Allen productions: The Time Tunnel's "Reign of Terror" (11/18/1966) and Land of the Giants' pilot, "The Crash" (9/22/1968) as the first giant the earthlings encounter as he picks up the Spindrift.

"Mr. Businessman," Ray Stevens
(#28 US; not making the weekly list, but it's a slow week and I thought it might be of some general interest; enters this week at #90)

Neither here or there kind of song.

"Please Return Your Love to Me," The Temptations
(#26 US; #4 R&B)

Forgettable track. I have always raised an eyebrow at its chart position.

I could invoke some Phil Collins, but...no, I won't be doing that.

Whew! Thank you for such self-restraint.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The "Dance. Monkee, Dance" sequence of the group in various dance routines would be featured prominently in the main title of season two.

I noticed that.

Look for more Bat-satire in:

• "The Case of the Missing Monkee" (Original airdate: 1/9/1967) - Micky (in mock serious voice) calls for the "Bat-hook".
• "Captain Crocodile" (Original airdate: 2/20/1967). "Frogman and Rueben the Tadpole" full-on Batman satire / fantasy sequence.
• "The Monkees Blow their Minds" (Original airdate: 3/11/1968). Burgess Meredith makes an uncredited appearance as a Penguin-sounding patron of a nightclub sans the Penguin's prosthetic nose and black wig.

Two of those are coming up in my viewing...and one I would have missed if you hadn't pointed it out after I watched the Antenna cut.

Sure, if its a true legal document.

I could see such a document making them pay for the lessons, but making them actually show up and take them doesn't seem like something that could be in a legally binding document. And stepping away from the fact that it's a goofy sitcom situation, it seems like they'd have all sorts of recourse against such a scheme. At the least, they could just break the contract. Would the studio owner sue them if it meant publicizing his scheme?

Whew! Thank you for such self-restraint.

I had a feeling it would be appreciated.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I've got the Boss's huge live multi-album from a few decades ago, which is notable for some stuff like acoustic versions of "Thunder Road" and "No Retreat, No Surrender." Plus the personal anecdotes that he shares between songs (including a great story about getting drafted). But for the most part I prefer that artists go into the studio and get it right before letting me listen.

This reminds me of perhaps my favorite "live album"...a disc from a Billy Joel box set of him doing his Q&A concert thing...basically telling stories with some brief musical excerpts on piano, though for the disc they chose to interjecct full live and studio performances between answers and the next questions.

One of my disappointments the first time around. If it's one thing that a rag-tag fugitive fleet is going to need, it's a socialator.

More the opposite, I think.

Now, if we are even going to survive as a species, then we need to get the hell out of here and we need to start having babies.

 

[RJDiogenes]

This reminds me of perhaps my favorite "live album"...a disc from a Billy Joel box set of him doing his Q&A concert thing...basically telling stories with some brief musical excerpts on piano, though for the disc they chose to interjecct full live and studio performances between answers and the next questions.

That's interesting. I've never heard of that one.

More the opposite, I think.

Yeah, but think of the stress....

 

[The Old Mixer]

That's interesting. I've never heard of that one.

I don't know if any of them are ones from the disc that I have, but it looks like there are a crapload of Q&A videos on Billy Joel's YouTube Vevo.

This may be your chance, RJ...I'm skeptical because they just did one, but according to their online schedule, Decades is doing another Tarzan Binge on Aug. 18-19. Could be another of their scheduling blunders.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Great, thank you. That's two weeks from Saturday, so plenty of time to scour this thread for the episodes that I wanted to see.

 

[The Old Mixer]

If it's of any help, my reviews of the series started here.

________

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 55 years ago this week:

1. "So Much in Love," The Tymes
2. "Fingertips, Pt. 2," Little Stevie Wonder
3. "Surf City," Jan & Dean
4. "(You're the) Devil in Disguise," Elvis Presley
5. "Wipe Out," The Surfaris
6. "Blowin' in the Wind," Peter, Paul & Mary
7. "Easier Said Than Done," The Essex
8. "Judy's Turn to Cry," Lesley Gore

10. "Just One Look," Doris Troy
11. "Candy Girl," The Four Seasons
12. "Memphis," Lonnie Mack

14. "Pride and Joy," Marvin Gaye
15. "Not Me," The Orlons

17. "Ring of Fire," Johnny Cash
18. "Sukiyaki," Kyu Sakamoto
19. "More," Kai Winding & Orchestra
20. "Till Then," The Classics
21. "Green, Green," The New Christy Minstrels

23. "Denise," Randy & The Rainbows

26. "My True Confession," Brook Benton
27. "Mockingbird," Inez & Charlie Foxx

29. "Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye," The Shirelles

36. "One Fine Day," The Chiffons
37. "Twist It Up," Chubby Checker

40. "I (Who Have Nothing)," Ben E. King

44. "Without Love (There Is Nothing)," Ray Charles
45. "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter from Camp)," Allan Sherman

47. "Hello Stranger," Barbara Lewis
48. "The Monkey Time," Major Lance

50. "It's My Party," Lesley Gore

54. "Hey Girl," Freddie Scott

58. "If I Had A Hammer," Trini Lopez

60. "Frankie and Johnny," Sam Cooke

62. "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home," Darlene Love

75. "My Boyfriend's Back," The Angels

82. "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave," Martha & The Vandellas

85. "Surfer Girl," The Beach Boys

93. "Martian Hop," The Ran-Dells


Leaving the chart:

• "Falling," Roy Orbison
• "My Summer Love," Ruby & The Romantics
• "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," Nat King Cole
• "You Can't Sit Down," The Dovells

55 Years Ago Spotlight--A few new songs for the season:

"Surfer Girl," The Beach Boys

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(#7 US; #18 R&B)

"(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave," Martha & The Vandellas

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(#4 US; #1 R&B)

"Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter from Camp)," Allan Sherman

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(#2 US; #14 UK)

_______

Catch-Up Viewing

_______

The Monkees
"Too Many Girls"
Originally aired December 19, 1966

A domineering stage mother (Reta Shaw) tries to use Davy to further her daughter Fern's (Kelly Jean Peters) career.

Note: The episode includes a beauty pageant scene in which Fern appears wearing a bathing suit; NBC aired a mix of this scene with a smudged lens to obscure Kelly Jean Peters' figure and prominent cleavage, but the syndicated reruns from the 1970s showed her uncensored.

Note: In the talent show Davy and Fern are contestants in, Mike (as 'Billy Roy Hodstetter') comedically plays a sped up version of "Different Drum", a song written by Nesmith, which became the first major hit by Linda Ronstadt (and the Stone Poneys).

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The episode opens with some live bits of "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" being performed.

Reta Shaw is another one of those character actors who has a very familiar look about her, but I didn't see any specific roles in IMDb that popped for me.

The TV Western that Davy briefly watches is identified on IMDb as being Iron Horse, which aired in the same timeslot on ABC. Guess that was preferable to reminding the audience that they were missing Gilligan's Island on CBS.

Alas, we get the blurred-out version of the bathing suit in this video. I'm not sure I can explain it, but this is the first time I've felt insulted by the prudishness of the times.

The comically sped-up and mumbled "Different Drum" is at 15:59+.

Mr. Hack: Ladies and gentlemen, we return with one more act after a word from our sponsor.
Micky: Their sponsor?
Peter: Our sponsor.
Mike: Our sponsor.

And that one more act is the Monkees doing "I'm a Believer" (20:18+).

Curses! Foiled by the Monkees!

Except she wasn't....

_______

12 O'Clock High
"Duel at Mont Sainte Marie"
Originally aired December 23, 1966

Germans are using a hillside as an observation post near a monastery of nuns and children, hopeful the Americans won't bomb their position.

Ooh, the QM announcer guy pronounced the title all French-like! This is one I'd been looking forward to, as H&I skipped it last year, so it was the last episode that I hadn't seen. Contrary to my earlier speculation, it is not a holiday-themed episode.

The episode opens with Gallagher flying a solo recon mission over enemy positions, because the Air Corps has nobody else to do that sort of thing. Then he takes Sandy on a commando mission to the retreat to make contact with the nuns there before their bombing raid. He lampshades the role-stretching by admitting that it's a "stupid, irrational effort," but Doud doesn't say no. Once he's on site, Gallagher negotiates with the German colonel (Edward Mulhare again) and the Big Sister (Lilia Skala), aided by the local American unit's chaplain (Joseph Campanella). Meanwhile, Doud leads the bombing mission again, because somebody's gotta do Gallagher's actual job. In the end, the head nun seems awfully cheery about her monastery having gotten bombed.

I had a strong sense of deja vu throughout this installment, but only realized afterward that the story is largely the same as one later used in a Black Sheep episode...and one I always found a bit boring, at that.

_______

The Monkees
"Son of a Gypsy"
Originally aired December 26, 1966

A band of gypsies, headed by powerful Maria (Jeanne Arnold), force the Monkees to steal a priceless statuette called the "Maltese Vulture."

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Featuring Trek guests Vic Tayback and Gene Dynarski as two of Maria's titular offspring (somebody beat me to it by a few years).

Kiko?: When you think of gypsy, you think of a dancer!
Peter: I think of Ethel Merman.

There's a cute sight gag of Davy being taller than the others after having been stretched on the rack. Another cute gag is Mike and Davy throwing a bottle out a window, after which a hand reaches in to give them 2 cents' deposit.

First fragment of a song: "Let’s Dance On" (12:23+)

The Monkees beats Batman to the gag of hiding a safe behind a painting of a safe...only in this case, the painting of the safe is behind another painting. There's some distinctly Bondian music playing when Davy's preparing to attempt to blow the safe. After that fails, he puts a stethoscope to the safe and hears "Last Train to Clarksville".

Climactic song: "I'm a Believer" (20:42+)

_______

12 O'Clock High
"Graveyard"
Originally aired December 30, 1966

Two black U.S. soldiers guarding enemy POWs on an island help Gallagher and his wounded after they bail out, but the good medic in charge, may be hiding a secret.

I'll note that the episode itself didn't feel it necessary to point out the characters' skin color.

12 O'Clock High
"Graveyard"
Originally aired December 30, 1966

This time the episode starts with the 918th bombing factories that are making components for some of them thar new-fangled jet-planes. Here's another case of a brigadier general coming along for the raid...and now that I look it up, Robert Lansing's regular lead in previous seasons was also a brig. gen., so I have to wonder if maybe there wasn't some wartime authenticity to that angle...at the very least, it would have been baked into the show's premise by this point.

The meat of the story is very sign-o'-the-times. I'd not commented on a brief establishing shot of African American soldiers in a previous episode, but here we have African American guest characters serving both on the ground and in the air. History tells us that they would have been serving in segregated units, and that's supported by the detail that two of these characters are the only survivors of their unit...but the episode never makes an issue of race one way or the other, and one of the regulars doesn't bat an eyelash at taking orders from an African American major...

...who's not actually a major, but a former officer who'd been busted down to private because of his aversion to killing, and is now impersonating the dead major who'd been leading his unit. He's supported in this effort by a sergeant played by Don Marshall (just a week before his appearance in "The Galileo Seven"). Ultimately the impersonation angle doesn't really go anywhere, as it's dropped in Act II. In the end the private, who'd prefer to practice medicine, redeems himself by proving that he is capable of killing under duress, after having received a pep talk from Gallagher in which the colonel likened killing the enemy to eradicating a disease--Now there's a sunny message!

Playing a strong supporting role in the air is Lloyd Haynes (Alden from "Where No Man Has Gone Before," who hails from South Bend, it turns out!), as the leader of what's presumably a Tuskegee Airmen squadron, though I didn't catch the episode dropping that name.

And the episode has two more TOS guests, albeit background types that I never would have spotted without IMDb: Dallas Mitchell and Garrison True.

Joe Maross's Gen. Chandler is the one leading the mission, from the right seat of Gallagher's bomber...I didn't catch if it was the Piccadilly Lily, but it bit the dust in the finest tradition.

Pics of our Trek guests.

Lloyd Haynes actually gets to say the title of the series! Oddly, the credits give Haynes's character a very distinctive name (Chase Mayhew) that's never used in the episode...he's only referred to as "Toro Leader".

Komansky does act a bit hesitant at taking orders from the fake Major (Ossie Davis)...but it's because he recognizes him...because Sandy seems to be personally acquainted with every Guest Enlisted Man in the service. It's in the titular location of the episode that Sandy figures out who the Major is, at the real Major's fakened grave. "Major Luke" (really Pvt. Prince) then swaps one drama angle for another...the impersonation for the reason behind the impersonation, his unwillingness to kill. He ultimately makes an exception for Jon Voight, a bailed German fighter pilot who serves as the episode's antagonist, having freed the German prisoners on the island and temporarily taken over the camp.

_______

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for 51 years ago this week:

1. "Light My Fire," The Doors
2. "I Was Made to Love Her," Stevie Wonder
3. "All You Need Is Love," The Beatles
4. "Windy," The Association
5. "A Whiter Shade of Pale," Procol Harum
6. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Frankie Valli
7. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," The Buckinghams
8. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane
9. "Pleasant Valley Sunday," The Monkees
10. "Little Bit o' Soul," The Music Explosion
11. "A Girl Like You," The Young Rascals
12. "I Take It Back," Sandy Posey
13. "Silence Is Golden," The Tremeloes

15. "My Mammy," The Happenings
16. "Carrie-Anne," The Hollies
17. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," Scott McKenzie
18. "Soul Finger," The Bar-Kays
19. "Up, Up and Away," The 5th Dimension
20. "For Your Love," Peaches & Herb
21. "Make Me Yours," Bettye Swann
22. "Baby, I Love You," Aretha Franklin
23. "More Love," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
24. "Thank the Lord for the Night Time," Neil Diamond
25. "I Like the Way," Tommy James & The Shondells

27. "To Love Somebody," Bee Gees
28. "Hypnotized," Linda Jones
29. "Come on Down to My Boat," Every Mother's Son
30. "Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," Bunny Sigler

34. "Words," The Monkees
35. "C'mon Marianne," The Four Seasons
36. "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," Janis Ian
37. "(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments
38. "Here We Go Again," Ray Charles

41. "Baby You're a Rich Man," The Beatles
42. "Don't Sleep in the Subway," Petula Clark

44. "You Only Live Twice," Nancy Sinatra

47. "Cold Sweat, Part 1," James Brown
48. "Don't Go Out into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)," Herman's Hermits

51. "Pictures of Lily," The Who
52. "You're My Everything," The Temptations
53. "Fakin' It," Simon & Garfunkel

55. "Come Back When You Grow Up," Bobby Vee & The Strangers

58. "Bluebird," Buffalo Springfield

60. "Glory of Love," Otis Redding
61. "Heroes and Villains," The Beach Boys

66. "Brown Eyed Girl," Van Morrison

68. "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie," Jay & The Techniques

71. "Ode to Billie Joe," Bobbie Gentry

73. "San Franciscan Nights," Eric Burdon & The Animals
74. "You Keep Me Hangin' On," The Vanilla Fudge
75. "You Know What I Mean," The Turtles

86. "Groovin'," Booker T. & The M.G.'s

92. "Funky Broadway," Wilson Pickett

94. "The Look of Love," Dusty Springfield

98. "Run, Run, Run," The Third Rail


Leaving the chart:

• "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
• "Alfie," Dionne Warwick
• "Let's Live for Today," The Grass Roots
• "Step Out of Your Mind," The American Breed
• "The Tracks of My Tears," Johnny Rivers

It's really starting to feel like last retro-Summer with "Ode to Billie Joe" in the playlist.

_______