Category: Music

Prisencolinensinainciusol

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Prisencolinensinainciusol is without a doubt the best music video I’ve seen in years.  Prisencolinensinainciusol was first released as a single in Italy in 1972 and then appeared on Italian tv as a music video in 1973.

The song was written by Adriano Celentano.  Celentano is also joined on the performance of the song by his wife Claudia Mori.  What’s interesting to note is that the video features Celentano singing and dancing along with Italian showgirl Raffaella Carrà who dances and lip-synchs to Mori’s vocals.

Another interesting fact about the song is that is was written in response to American records dominating the Italian pop charts.   Italian kids were buying American records but most didn’t speak English and couldn’t understand the lyrics.  Celentano decided to write a pop song that sounded like the words were English, but in reality were gibberish.

Man, I dig this video.

[Via Neatorama and Wikipedia]

The Cost of Being an American Idol

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Have you ever wondered how much contestants on American Idol make?  I’m not talking about the winners, I’m referring to the guys and gals that make the cut to get on the show but don’t go all the way.  And who pays for their outfits?  Do they get meal allowances?  How much cheese do they get for the Ford commercials?

You can find out the answers to all those questions and more right here thanks to Bankrate.com.

Playing for Change: Gimme Shelter

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This cover of The Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter by Playing for Change really works.  It’s a cool video made cooler when you know the process of getting people from around the world to join in…

  • Gimme Shelter was recorded by unknown artists in a virtual worldwide street studio all around the world. It all starts with the base percussion, which is recorded first and sets the rhythm to it all, played by Greg Ellis in Hollywood. Then, the track flies all over the world, where other artists use it to play their own parts of the song.

[Via Gizmodo]

CigarBox Guitar, Blind Willie Johnson & Thomas Boatwright

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I like something in almost every genre or type of music.  Pop, rock, blues, disco, gospel, oldies… you name it and I can tell you artists and/or songs I like.  Truth be told, I really didn’t know much of anything about cigarbox guitar music.  One thing I do know is if the genre as a whole is a good as “If I Had My Way: A Cigarbox Guitar Tribute to Blind Willie Johnson” then I’ve been missing out big time.

Oh, and by the way, Thomas Boatwright did the very cool CD Cover.  You can see more of Thomas’ art here and here.

Hawaii 5-0: Tweaked and Ready to Book ‘Em

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The other day Chris Mills posted that there is a new version of Hawaii 5-0 coming to CBS.  The new show stars Alex O’Laughlin, Daniel Dae-Kim, Scott Caan and Grace Park.  The new  Hawaii 5-0 has tweaked a few things and looks interesting enough for me to give it a shot.

The one thing that I wish they hadn’t messed with was the theme song.  Nothing beats the original version when it comes to Hawaii 5-0.  Don’t believe me?  Chris Mills posted the new theme along with the original [and even a third riff on it for a show that never made it to series].

“Timothy”: Cannibalism You Can Dance To

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Today as I was updating the StalloneZone and listening to 70’s music, a song came on that I hadn’t heard in years.  “Timothy” was a one-hit wonder for a group called The Buoys.  It peaked at #17 which is pretty amazing considering that many stations banned it because of it’s references to cannibalism!  You read that right, cannibalism.

Written by Rupert “The Pina Colada Song” Holmes, it tells of three miners trapped by a cave-in and when the rescue team finds them there are only two.  Although it’s never explicitly said that the two ate the third, the lyrics make it pretty clear.

Trapped in a mine that had caved in
And everyone knows the only ones left
Were Joe and me and Tim
When they broke through to pull us free
The only ones left to tell the tale
Were Joe and me

Timothy, Timothy, where on earth did you go?
Timothy, Timothy, God why don’t I know?

Hungry as hell no food to eat
And Joe said that he would sell his soul
For just a piece of meat
Water enough to drink for two
And Joe said to me, “I’ll have a swig
And then there’s some for you.”

Timothy, Timothy, Joe was looking at you
Timothy, Timothy, God what did we do?

I must have blacked out just around then
‘Cause the very next thing that I could see
Was the light of the day again
My stomach was full as it could be
And nobody ever got around
To finding Timothy
Timothy…

Of course when radio station managers realized that the song was about cannibalism they’d pull it from rotation, but by then it was too late.  Kids were calling in to request it.  Stations that refused to play “Timothy”, faced the fact that the competition would.  Word of mouth continued to spread and “Timothy” rose up the charts.

I can remember it was the talk of all my friends who thought the song was too cool.  Yeah, eating a co-worker is cool.  What can I say?  We were kids.  Although I have to admit I still like the song.  You might too and you can listen to it here.

Meeting Frank Stallone, Part II

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On Sunday, November 8, 2009, Frank Stallone dropped by City Line Pizza in Edgewater, Florida. Store co-owner, Joe V, is a SZoner, and gave me advance notice so I made plans to be attend. It was a totally cool experience. Frank was down to earth and spent the time talking with fans, signing autographs and CDs. You can read part one of my report here.

That’s Mike Tourney getting Frank to autograph his ultra-rare Valentine record album cover. [Valentine was Frank’s band back in the early 70’s.] Mike is a long-time Frank Stallone fan who collects autographs and guitar pics!

That’s me, Frank and SZoner Stephen Isaia. Stephen sent in the photos used last week and has provided us with photos before. He’s a true Stallone and StalloneZone fan and I was pleased to meet him!

We close out with a final shot of my wife, Doralya, Frank and me. It was great meeting Frank and I want to thank him again for all the support he’s provided the StalloneZone over the years. Frank is a great guy, an amazing artist [singer, song writer and actor]. It was a true pleasure to meet him.

I also want to thank SZoner Joe V. of City Line Pizza [great food!!] for the “heads-up”. Hopefully, Joe will be able to have Frank back again some time. If so, we’ll report it here!

Meeting Frank Stallone

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On Sunday, November 8, 2009, Frank Stallone dropped by City Line Pizza in Edgewater, Florida. Since the store co-owner, Joe V, is a SZoner, I was given advance notice and made plans to be there. Talk about a cool experience. Frank was totally down to earth and spent the time talking with fans, signing autographs and CDs. Frank has a new reality tv show in the works. Of course we’ll keep you updated as it moves closer to production.

Although Frank and I had exchanged e-mails over the years, it was my first time meeting him in person. Frank was very gracious and thanked me for my efforts with the StalloneZone. He explained that Sly doesn’t mess around on computers much and at first had reservations about someone using his name and creating a website about him. Frank explained to Sly that “Craig is one of the good guys” and the StalloneZone is a positive place for Stallone fans to gather. Frank also wanted to make sure that all SZoners knew how much he and Sly appreciated our support.

I also met a couple of other fans at Frank’s appearance. The first, Stephen Isaia, is a huge Frank Stallone / StalloneZone fan. Stephen flew down to Florida to attend a Frank Stallone concert and come to the store appearance. It was a pleasure meeting Stephen. I also met Mike Tourney who collects autographs and guitar pics. Mike had an original Valentine record album for Frank to sign. Valentine was Frank’s band back in the pre-Rocky days. Talk about rare!

I’ll post more on Frank’s visit next weekend along with a few more photos. The pictures today come to us from Stephen Isaia!

Best of The Beatles

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The Beatles have been all over the news lately. Pretty impressive considering that the band formed nearly 50 years ago, broke up almost 40 years ago, and two of their members have passed on.  Still, no one can argue the impact that Paul McCartney. John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr had on the world. I was a Beatles fan, still am. Not a fanatic, mind you, but a fan.

Entertainment Weekly in their September 11, 2009, issue featured The Beatles on the cover and several articles.  One of the articles picked the Top 50 Best Beatles Songs.   You know me and lists, so using just songs from Entertainment Weekly’s 50, here are My Top Ten Beatles Songs:

10. Yesterday [1965]: Who hasn’t covered this song?  It seems to get more melabcholy the older I get.

09. A Hard Day’s Night [1964]  One of their first, and 45 years later, it’s still hard not to sing along when it starts playing.

08. Revolution [1968]  “You say you want a revolution?  Well, you know, we all want to change the world.”  Still do. 

07. She Loves You [1963] Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Nuff said.

06. Hey Jude [1968]  This song has grown on me over the years [after learning that Paul wrote it to help John Lennon’s son after John broke up with his first wife].

05. You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away [1965] From the album and movie Help!

04. I Want to Hold Your Hand [1963]  My first intro to The Beatles… getting to stay up late to watch Ed Sullivan.  Thanks mom!

03. Help! [1965] My uncle took me to see the movie and let me play his Beatles albums.  Thanks Jim!

02. Something [1969]  Frank Sinatra called it “the greatest love song of the last 50 years” – who can argue with old blue eyes?

01. Let It Be [1970] From their last album before they broke up… showing us that they were still on top of their game.

About Me with The Monkees

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This was sent to me by my buddy, “The James” Howell.  I thought of several musicians/groups that I could use [Billy Joel, The Beatles, Bob Segar, Michael McDonald, Elton John, etc), but opted to go with The Monkees.  So using song titles from their albums, here are my answers…

 Pick Your Artist: THE MONKEES
Are you male or female: A Man Without a Dream
Describe yourself: Daydream Believer
How do you feel about yourself: I Don’t Think You Know Me
Describe your current boy/girl relation situation: Heart and Soul
Describe where you currently live: Pleasant Valley Sunday
If you could go anywhere you wanted to go: Through the Looking Glass
Your favorite form of transportation: Last Train to Clarksville
Your best friend(s) is(are): A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
Your favorite color is: Nine Times Blue
Favorite time of day: Sometime In The Morning
If your life were a TV show, what would it be called: Looking for the Good Times
What is life to you: Hard to Believe
What is the best advice you have to give: Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
Thought for the Day: That Was Then, This Is Now
How I would like to die: Love is Only Sleeping
My soul’s present condition: I’m A Believer