AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar Mack

Artist:Oscar Mack
Song:Don't Be Afraid Of Love
Album:The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968




Here's a very obscure 1963 single that will interest Stax fans. Oscar Mack recorded a few singles. But mostly he was Otis Redding's Man Friday. And he was Redding's opening act. Mack was his valet, chauffeur, whatever. If someone in the band needed something, they would get it from Mack. He was somewhat of a father figure on the road. And apparently he was a great performer. He would do flips on stage and banter with the audience. He wrote songs and Redding recorded a couple of them. And he even got to record for Stax a couple of times. Mack wrote Don't Be Afraid Of Love with Capricorn Records founder Phil Walden. The band isn't credited but it sure sounds like Booker T & The MGs with the Stax Horns. And that may be Otis Redding singing harmony with Mack. It was released as a single so you can get it on the 9CD box set The Complete Stax/Volt Singles which is a must for Stax fans. It's probably the best thing Mack recorded. Redding even recorded the song but it sat in the vault until the 90s. The Lo Fidelity All Stars covered the song. It looks like Mack left Redding in 1966 and joined the band of soul singer James Duncan. And he recorded the 1968 single I'm Glad It's Over for Bell Records' label Amy. It looks like Mack left the music business and moved to Detroit. He died in 1989. Here's a video for Don't Be Afraid Of Love by Oscar Mack. Thanks to Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven for the Oscar Mack info.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexandra Albu vs Kailin Curran

Here's the match video of Alexandra Albu vs Kailin Curran from last night's UFC show in Anaheim. This aired on UFC Fight Pass. Alexandra is from Russia. The last time we saw her was in 2015. Jon Anik said on the broadcast that she was finishing school. They announced her record as 6-0 but according to all records I have seen, she is actually 2-0. Her 2015 opponent was so bad she was released. So I'm not sure if she's a good fighter or not. I just haven't seen enough of her. She's a fitness model in Russia so I know she will be ripped. Kailin is from Hawaii. Her main flaw is she loses concentration during fights and that has cost her in the UFC. So I'm watching round one and it's a decent round. The thing I like about Alexandra is she punches hard and that won her the first two rounds of this fight. What I don't like about her is she's too easy to hit. There's no head movement. It's like she hasn't been taught to avoid punches. Alexandra's problems are related to inexperience. And that's good because she can improve with good coaching. In round one, Alexandra was winning with more effective striking when suddenly she pulled Kailin into her guard. Again, that's inexperience. And Kailin broke Alexandra's nose which obviously affected her endurance. But I thought Alexandra's striking was more effective so I scored the first two rounds in her favour. After the second round, Kailin got read the riot act. And she was a lot better in round three. But she didn't get the finish she needed. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Alexandra and so did the judges. It was not a great fight but it wasn't boring. Afterwards there was Twitter complaints that Kailin landed more strikes. I looked at the stats and Kailin did throw more punches but Alexandra landed more significant strikes. And that's what I thought while I watched the fight and that's what the judges saw too. Quality is more important than quantity. Alexandra went to the hospital after the fight for her broken nose. I think she has potential but she needs a lot of work. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Cris Cyborg vs Tonya Evinger

Here's the match video of Cris Cyborg vs Tonya Evinger from last night's UFC show in Anaheim, CA. This match was for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship. Of course the problem with this fight is that though Tonya is an Invicta champ but she's a Bantamweight. I don't know what she was going to do to beat Cyborg. But from listening to her interviews this week, I don't think Tonya knew either. I guess she thought if she took Cyborg into the late rounds, she might get tired and that would be Tonya's big chance. Well, it did get to the third round but only because Cyborg allowed it. In her post match interview Cyborg said she was being patient. It's almost like she was toying with Tonya until Cyborg finally put her away with a third round knee to the head. And I don't think fans like patient Cyborg. It's like WWE fans and Braun Strowman. They want to see BRAUN CRUSH. Her fans want to see CYBORG CRUSH. Tanya said she was disappointed with her performance. I don't think she should be disappointed. I guess she did better than expected though Tonya would disagree. At least she got paid a lot of money and now she can go after the Bantamweight belt. She is a threat in that division. Then Joe Rogan starts with this "if you build it they will come" nonsense about Welterweights. I have said for years there are no credible 145lb fighters. Take note of the word "credible" because most 145lb fighters, including the ones in Bellator, stink. The exception to that is Meghan Anderson but it's too soon for her. Cyborg's next title defense will probably be against Holly Holm who is ill equipped for Cyborg. Cat Zingano and Ediane Gomes have also expressed interest. Of course all of them are Bantamweights. That's what we will see in the UFC. This is not a new problem going back to 2012 when then Strikeforce owner Scott Coker asked Cyborg to drop to 135 because she ran out of 145lb opponents. Meanwhile I expect Cyborg to do an angle at WWE SummerSlam with Becky Lynch. They have been Tweeting each other for the last couple of weeks. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Besnard Lakes

Artist:The Besnard Lakes
Song:Albatross
Album:The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night




Fans of neo-psychedelia are going to want to check out The Besnard Lakes. Albatross is one of their more popular songs. The Besnard Lakes are from Montreal led by the husband wife duo of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas. He plays guitar and she sings and plays bass. The Besnard Lakes is a real place in Saskatchewan. Lasek owns Breakglass Studio in Montreal. He has worked on albums by Wolf Parade among others. At first the Besnard Lakes were a full band. But everyone left and Lasek recorded their 2003 debut album themselves with some help from guest musicians. They do hire musicians to tour but they come and go. For the 2007 album The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, they signed with Jagjaguwar Records. The album was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. Albatross is from the 2010 album The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night. This was also nominated for a Polaris Music Prize. They also scored the 2010 film Sympathy For Delicious for actor Mark Ruffalo. Their latest album A Coliseum Complex Museum was released last year. The Besnard Lakes will never have pop hit singles. Their music isn't commercial. But those who enjoy psychedelic influenced rock should enjoy their music. They do tour but operating his recording studio is Lasek's bread and butter. So any tours have to work around his schedule. Here's the video for Albatross by The Besnard Lakes.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers

Artist:Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
Song:Monster Mash
Album:Now That's What I Call Halloween




Monster Mash was a number one hit in 1962. Since then it has been a Halloween perennial charting many times. It's one of the most successful novelty records of all time. Bobby Pickett was born Feb. 11, 1938 in Somerville, MA. As a child, he loved horror movies and he would go around the house imitating Boris Karloff. His dad manged the local movie house. After a stint in the US Army, Pickett moved to Los Angeles in 1961 and joined The Cordials. He got a big reaction when he did the Karloff impression on stage. Pickett approached producer Gary Paxton who was behind The Hollywood Argyles hit Alley Oop about doing a novelty record. Pickett wrote Monster Mash with fellow Cordial Lenny Capizzi who really loved Pickett's Karloff impression. They decided to do a spoof of dance crazes. The song was recorded with session musicians like Leon Russell and Paxton released it on his Garpax label. Monster Mash topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962 and then it would chart for years at Halloween. A couple of Pickett's other songs charted but Monster Mash was the only hit he would ever need. The original Monster Mash album is available on CD. But the song is on plenty of Halloween themed comps like this one from the Now series. It's a budget CD. Pickett continued to perform for decades until his death on Apr. 25, 2007 at age 69. Here's Bobby "Boris" Pickett performing Monster Mash on American Bandstand 1964.

Claudia Gadelha vs Jessica Andrade added to Sept. 23 UFC show

Though first reported by the Brazilian website Combate, today the UFC confirmed with the Japanese website eFight that Claudia Gadelha vs Jessica Andrade has been added to UFC Fight Night 117 Sept. 23 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan. This fight will be the co-main event. A broadcast for this show hasn't been announced yet though I expect it to air on UFC Fight Pass. So Claudia Tweeted Jessica that she wanted to fight. After Jessica agreed, it was up to the UFC to put it together. It's interesting that this fight wasn't scheduled for the upcoming Sao Paulo show in October. Timing may have been an issue. So instead it will be in Japan. Claudia looked great in her win over Karolina Kowalkiewicz. It was her first finish in the UFC. After that fight, she said she wanted another fight before getting a title shot. Dominic Cruz claimed on the broadcast that her opponent could be a UFC newcomer. Because he said that, I saw all kinds of goofy names mentioned. But I thought it was a red herring. And it was. Basically, if Claudia can finish Jessica, she's ready for a title shot. Not that I think it will be easy. Though Jessica lost to Joanna Jedrzeczyk, Joanna wasn't able to finish her. Now that Claudia has moved to Albuquerque and training with Chris Luttrell, I think she has stepped her game up big time and she could be a big title threat now. I like Jessica. She's very tough. But she may have to do what Claudia did and move to the US to get high level training. I'm looking forward to this fight.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shirley Verrett

Artist:Shirley Verrett
Song:You'll Never Walk Alone
Album:Carousel: 1994 Broadway Cast Recording




Shirley Verrett was a pioneering black opera singer. This 1994 revival of Carousel was the only time she appeared on Broadway. She was born May 31, 1931 in New Orleans and she grew up in los Angeles. She sang in church but her family were devout Seventh Day Adventists. So a singing career was not encouraged. Shirley moved to New York to study at Juilliard. By the early 60s she was appearing regularly in New York City opera productions. In 1962, Shirley appeared in the first ever televised Lincoln Center concert. And she also appeared in Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concert series. She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1968 and at La Scala in 1969. So obviously she was very successful for many years. In 1992, director Nicholas Hytner produced a revival of Carousel in London. After that was successful, he brought it to Broadway. One notable thing was this was Audra McDonald's Broadway debut for which she won a Tony. Shirley played Nettie and of course her big number was You'll Never Walk Alone. The show won five Tonys and after a successful run, Hytner took it on the road. It was not only Shirley's only Broadway appearance but her only non-operatic appearance. The original cast of Carousel is available as a budget CD. After that, Shirley retired from performing and joined the University of Mischigan faculty. She published her autobiography in 2003. Shirley Verrett died of heart failure on Nov. 5, 2010 at age 79. Here's Shirley Verrett performing You'll Never Walk Alone on the 1994 Tony Awards broadcast.

Analysis of Invicta FC 25

Yesterday Invicta announced the full card of Invicta FC 25. the show will be Aug. 31 at the Tachi palace in Lemoore, CA. Well, at least it's not in Kansas City. As usually is the case with Invicta, the main card is a little weak but I've seen worse. When Tonya Evinger went to the UFC, Invicta moved Raquel Pa'aluhi vs Yana Kunitskaya to the main event of this show for the Invicta Bantamweight Championship to the Invicta FC 25 main event. I don't believe either are main event fighters. I guess the thinking is they were going to fight for a title shot anyway so have them fight for the title. It's a move of convenience which is not sound matchmaking. I understand it but I don't agree with it. The co-main will have former Strawweight champ Livia Renata Souza vs Jodie Esquibel. So the main reason this is high on the card is Jodie is very popular. She's also a dreaded points fighter. Of course I hate points fighters. This is for the vacant Invicta Strawweight Championship. Remember that just because a fighter is popular doesn't mean she's good. I don't know if either should fight for a title. So those are the two main fights and I guess they are booking the rest as prelims. In a Bantamweight fight, Alexa Connors will face Katharine Lehner. Alexa returns to Invicta after a 1-1 record in 2016. She won her last fight for LFA in April. She is 26 years old from Columbia, SC. Maybe she has improved. Katharine is 27 years old from Cologne, Germany. She's 5-0 and in her last fight she won a title in Germany. I would still describe her as unproven. It's high on the card when it's more suited to be a prelim. In a Strawweight bout, Sharon Jacobson will face Kali Robbins. Sharon is 33 years old from Colorado Springs, CO. Her record is 3-1 and 2-0 in Invicta. She beat Jamie Moyle in her last fight. Jamie is now in the UFC. Considering her experience, she's a little old. Kali is 33 years old from Milwaukee. She trains at Roufussport. She's 3-0 and I also think she's a little old. In an Atomweight bout, Shino VanHoose will Alyse Anderson. Shino has been in Invicta before. She also used to live in Japan. She now lives in Boise, ID. She's 22 years old and her record is 5-5. I haven't been impressed with her but maybe she has improved since moving to the US. Alyse is from Michigan but it looks like she is training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Her record is 3-0 but she's unproven. It might be OK. In a Bantamweight bout, Kelly McGill will face Amberlynn Orr. Both have fought on Invicta prelims with mixed results. It looks like Kelly may have had a couple of long layoffs. In a Bantamweight bout, Shaianna Rincon will face Stephanie Eggar. Shaianna made her Invicta and pro debut in May. She has a lot of amateur experience. Stephanie is from Switzerland with a 2-1 record. She lost in her Invicta debut Nov. 2016. I seem to recall that I liked Shaianna. In a Flyweight bout, Cheri Muraski will face Tracy Cortez. Both are debuting in Invicta. Cheri is 3-0. She's 38 years old from Denver. Tracy is 23 years old from Phoenix. She has a 5-0 amateur record. Invicta seems to do a lot of young vs old matches. In the opener, Atomweights Ashley Medina will face Jillian DeCoursey. Both are making Invicta and pro debuts. Ashley is 21 years old and she is a teammate of Aspen Ladd at MMA Gold in El Dorado Hills, CA. Jillian is from New York. The only thing I know about her is she has a rabid fanbase on Twitter. I guess that's enough to get an Invicta contract these days. As I said, the main card is weak. Most of the fights are prelim caliber.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Destiny's Child

Artist:Destiny's Child
Song:Survivor
Album:#1's





Of course Destiny's Child is now known as the launching pad for Beyonce. But they were very successful for the first half of the 00s. And Survivor was significant because it came after personnel changes reduced them to a trio. So there was some uncertainty at the time. Destiny's Child were from Houston. Beyonce was nine years old when she met LaTavia Roberson at an audition. They along with family friend Kelly Rowland were part the group Girl's Tyme. They unsuccessfully appeared on Star Search. That's when Beyonce's father Matthew Knowles took over. He left a career in medical equipment sales to manage the group. He reduced Girl's Tyme to four members; Beyonce, Kelly, LaTavia and LeToya Luckett. Girl's Tyme performed locally. Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles designed the group's costumes. By the time they signed with Elektra Records in 1996, the group was called Destiny. When that didn't work out, Knowles changed the name to Destiny's Child. The song Killing Time produced by Dwayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone! got them a deal with Columbia Records. The biggest hit from their debut CD was No, No, No featuring Wyclef Jean. But the album that really broke Destiny's Child was the 1999 album The Writing's On The Wall. The album was certified 8XPlatinum and it's still their biggest selling album. Bills, Bills, Bills and Say My Name were #1 hits. But trouble was brewing. LaTavia and LeToya accused Knowles of favouring Beyonce and Kelly. Well, DUH! Knowles threw them out of Destiny's Child and replaced them with Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. The girls sued because they didn't know they were being replaced. It was settled out of court. Farrah didn't stay very long. Knowles claimed she missed appearances. Like the two that left, Farrah found that she didn't have much say in anything. she was not happy. So now Destiny's Child is down to a trio. They released a single Independent Women from the film Charlie's Angels that topped the charts. Then they released the 2001 album Survivor. it was certified 4XPlatinum. Survivor was the first single. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 only because Janet Jackson's All For You topped the charts for seven weeks. By this time, Beyonce was writing and producing everything herself usually with a co-producer. She co-wrote Survivor with Anthony Dent who was a former producer with Sean "Puffy" Combs Hitmen. He also worked with Kelly price. The song was inspired by recent events within the group and the TV show Survivor. The single Bootylicious was a number one hit. At this point, Destiny's Child went on hiatus. Michelle recorded a gospel album in 2002. Kelly also recorded an album in 2002. Beyonce finally released her solo debut in 2003. Destiny's Child recorded one more album and then announced they were disbanding in 2005. This #1's comp was released at that time. Of course Beyonce is very successful. The others not so much. Destiny's Child reunited for the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show. It's unlikely to happen again. Beyonce has a lot on her plate. here's the video for Survivor by Destiny's Child.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Madonna

Artist:Madonna
Song:Die Another Day
Album:Celebration





Of course Madonna has been one of the biggest pop stars since the 80s. And I may talk about her career in the future. But if you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I like to feature one off songs that could get overlooked. Madonna scored a top ten hit in 2002 with the theme from the James Bond film Die Another Day. It was released on the soundtrack CD but it didn't turn up on one of her albums. And there are also James Bond collectors out there. In 2002, Madonna was working on her next album American Life with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzai. He also worked on her 2000 album Music. As is usually the case with Bond films, MGM was looking for a star to record the theme for Die Another Day and Madonna was their first choice. At the time, she was shooting the film Swept Away and appearing in the West End play Up For Grabs. In Mar. 2002, Madonna agreed to record the theme and appear briefly in Die Another Day. Then she started to work on the song with Ahmadzai and veteran French composer Michel Colombier who worked with them before. He arranged and conducted the strings in Los Angeles and he integrated the song with the film. After sending a demo to MGM, they wanted it to blend into the Bond theme. And she watched a rough cut of the film to get ideas. In the end Madonna did a techno song if you like that sort of thing. I don't know why she used so much auto tune. And a video was produced that was a mini action film. Die Another Day reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 so I guess MGM was happy. The soundtrack album is available on CD. And James Bond fans can get Die Another Day on a couple of Best of James Bond CDs. Madonna fans can get Die Another Day on this 2CD comp. From what I could tell, it doesn't appear on any other Madonna CDs. Here's the video for Die Another Day by Madonna.

Jamie Colleen vs Tiffany Masters added to Aug. 15 UFC show

The UFC has started a new fight series called Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS). It is currently airing every Tuesday night on UFC Fight Pass. The idea is to take top regional fighters and give them the opportunity to earn a UFC contract. There are usually five fights on the show and one or two fighters will get a contract. It seems to be performance based. There was a Tweet last night from Shawn Bitter of MMA Today that a women's match has been added to the Aug. 15 DWTNCS. It's in the Strawweight division with Jamie Colleen vs Tiffany Masters. Unlike the usual UFC shows, the UFC tends not to confirm these matches until they announce the full card in a couple of weeks. Both fighters have limited experience and normally I would expect a fight like this to appear on the Invicta prelims. That's just to give you a reference point. Jamie is 31 years old from Philadelphia. Her record is 3-1. She's a former King Of The Cage champ. She won the title with a KO win over Danielle Taylor Aug. 2015. And then Danielle won the rematch by TKO Mar. 2016. Of course Danielle is now in the UFC. Maybe Jamie would have got that call if she had won. That's was Jamie's last fight so she could be a little rusty. Tiffany is 23 years old from Fond du Lac, WI. Her record is 2-0. Both fights were for King Of The Cage in Wisconsin. She was supposed to fight on the July Invicta show but that fight was cancelled when this opportunity came up. Keep in mind that Invicta contracts are not exclusive and they won't stop anyone from going to the UFC anyway. We'll see how the fight goes. It's possible that one could be offered a UFC contract or maybe neither. Both need to bring their A games to this show.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frank Sinatra

Artist:Frank Sinatra
Song:Strangers In The Night
Album:Greatest Love Songs





By the mid-60s, I don't think Frank Sinatra was considering retirement. But the kind of songs he was recording like September Of My Years and It Was A Very Good Year made fans think he was considering it. Instead, the 1966 hit Strangers In The Night was his first number one hit in years. And it turned out to be one of the biggest hits of his career. Though Sinatra and arranger Gordon Jenkins won Grammys for It Was A Very Good Year, it only reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sinatra thought that reuniting with Nelson Riddle would get him that number one hit. Riddle was his arranger through the 50s. But Sinatra switched to Jenkins shortly after starting Reprise Records in the early 60s. Strangers In The Night was written by German composer Bert Kaempfert for the 1966 film A Man Could Get Killed. The lyrics were written by veteran songwriters Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. The song was supposed to be sung in the movie by Melina Mercouri. But the producers decided against it and then the song was recorded by Sinatra. The story goes that Sinatra hated the song. And he was not a happy camper during the recording session. The musicians were guys from The Wrecking Crew like drummer Hal Blaine, pianist Leon Russell and guitarist Glen Campbell. Jimmy Bowen produced, Ernie Freeman wrote the arrangement and Riddle conducted. So I'm sure no one was more surprised than Sinatra when Strangers In The Night topped the Billboard Hot 100. The last time he topped the charts was in 1955. Sinatra won a couple of Grammys and Ernie Freeman also won a Grammy. You can get Strangers In The Night on this budget comp. Of course Sinatra retired in the early 70s but he didn't stay retired. Strangers In The Night turned out to be one of the biggest hits of his career. Here's Frank Sinatra performing Strangers In The Night at the Concert for The Americas in the Dominican Republic Aug. 20, 1982.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jennifer Lopez

Artist:Jennifer Lopez
Song:If You Had My Love
Album:Dance Again...The Hits





Jennifer Lopez was already a movie star when she began her recording career. Fortunately for her, she scored a huge hit with her first single If You Had My Love. She's had mixed success since then. Part of the problem is her music is generic dance pop that sounds like every other singer that does that kind of music. And she's not a great singer so she depends a lot on solid production to carry her. She was born July 24, 1969 in The Bronx, NY. Her parents were Puerto Rican immigrants. Her sister Lynda works for New York radio station WCBS. Growing up Jennifer dreamed of performing. And as a teen, she appeared in the 1986 film My Little Girl. Then she did bit parts in Broadway shows. Her big break was as a Fly Girl on the TV series In Living Color in 1991. That got her to Los Angeles and she left to pursue acting in 1993. Her first decent role was in the 1995 film My Family which led to the biopic Selena. Other films included Anaconda and especially Steven Soderburgh's 1998 film Out Of Sight. So now she wants to record. Tommy Mottola signs her to his Work Group label with Columbia distribution. The album On The 6 was released June 1999. The single If You Had My Love was released May 1999. Jennifer is risking a lot. If her music fails, she probably doesn't get another chance. Fortunately, If You Had My Love was a huge hit and so was the album. The song was written and produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. He wrote it for Michael Jackson but Jackson thought it was suited for a female singer. The album was certified 3XPlatinum. Obviously Jennifer has had other hits. But she was already a movie star so immediate success was important. You can get all her Columbia hits on this budget comp complete with a bonus DVD. In recent years Jennifer has not been as active recording. But she does have a Spanish album coming in September. She recently returned to Epic Records so expect a big splash with her first English album. Right now she is doing her show World Of Dance for NBC and the series Shades Of Blue. And she is appearing in a live TV production of Bye Bye Birdie for NBC in 2018. So Jennifer Lopez ain't going away anytime soon. Here's the video for If You Had My Love by Jennifer Lopez.

AccuRadio Song of The Day-The Islanders

Artist:The Islanders
Song:The Enchanted Sea
Album:The Golden Age Of American Popular Music: Hits With Strings and Things




This instrumental classic The Enchanted Sea was a top 20 hit in 1959. You might think The Islanders were Hawaiian. Not only were they not Hawaiian but they weren't really a group. The man behind The Islanders was known in New York City as Dr. Warren Nadel The Singing Dentist. He was born July 2, 1930 in The Bronx, NY. He studied violin as a child and then he went to dental school. While establishing his practice, he still messed around with music. Nadel recorded a song called After School in 1957 that was supposed to sound like the Sonny James hit Young Love. Believe it or not, the American Dental Association would not allow Nadel to use his real name so he called himself Randy Starr. After School was a top 40 hit. Nadel appeared on TV and toured. He even appeared on To Tell The Truth. Nadel wanted to continue in music but he didn't enjoy performing. So in 1959 he got together with accordionist Frank Metis. They met on a cruise. Nadel released The Enchanted Sea on the small Mayflower label and it reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Basically Nadel and Metis wanted to record music that sounded like the Martin Denny hit Quiet Village. So it has that feel of exotica without actually being exotic. Nadel played guitar and did the whistling on the record. The Islanders continued to record but they never charted again. Nadel returned to his dentistry practice. But he also became a prolific songwriter especially for Elvis Presley films. Most of the songs were written with veteran songwriter Fred Wise including Kissin' Cousins. Nadel retired from his dentistry practice in the 90s and he lives in New York City. You can get The Enchanted Sea on this Ace Records various artists comp. Here's a video for the Enchanted Sea by The Islanders.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jiji

Artist:Jiji
Song:Le Chevalier
Album:Ultra Chicks Volume 6: Vous Dansez Mademoiselle




Here's an example of how goofy the record business can be. The year is 1967. The place is France. Yeye is very popular. I think Yeye is the lost music of the 60s. Record companies were constantly looking for pretty girls that they could turn into pop stars. In this case, Decca Records found a girl. They spent a lot of time and money turning her into Jiji. And then she only recorded one EP. Her real name was Nadia Voyevoda. She was brought to Decca Records by her boyfriend Robert Gretch. Gretch was unknown at the time but in the 70s he recorded some jazz guitar albums. Veteran composer Raymond Legrand was brought in to produce. Fans may be familiar with his son Michel Legrand. Raymond Legrand led his own orchestra and worked with Maurice Chevalier. He called her Jiji. Decca took her to famed hairdressers and dress designers to remake her image. They did photo shoots. They had her appear with race car drivers. They sent her to Brussels to record. She recorded three songs including Le Chevalier which was written by Gretch. The EP was released and I guess when it wasn't an immediate success, Decca lost interest on Jiji and that was it. You can get Le Chevalier on this Ultra Chicks various artists CD. So what happened to Nadia. She joined the group Blue Grass Flingou 37 1/2. They recorded an EP in 1968. I think Nadia joined the group after that. It looks like she moved to the US and she may have worked briefly with The Bee Gees. It doesn't look like anything came of that. Jiji looks and sounds OK. I don't know why Decca lost interest in her. Here's a video of Le Chavalier by Jiji. Most of the info about Jiji is from the French blog La Scala Retrouvee.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Radiohead

Artist:Radiohead
Song:No Surprises
Album:OK Computer





Radiohead is one of the more enduring bands from the 90s. Though they have had hit singles in their native England, they are mostly an album and touring band. The 1997 album OK Computer is probably their most popular album. Radiohead are from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. They met in school. The band is lead singer Thom Yorke, keyboard player Jonny Greenwood, his brother Colin Greenwood on bass, Ed O'Brien on guitar and Philip Selway on drums. They started jamming in school in 1985. But they didn't play any gigs until 1991. And they signed with EMI in 1992. They weren't successful at first. The 1993 album Pablo Honey didn't do well until alternative radio stations like San Francisco's KITS started playing Creep. It began with Israeli DJ Yoav Kutner and Radiohead toured Israel as a result. They got more attention when the video for Creep was played on MTV. The 1995 album The Bends did OK but it didn't build on the momentum from Creep. Radiohead built their own studio to record OK Computer. And they also convinced EMI to allow them to self produce. I guess EMI thought there was nothing to lose as The Bends was a commercial disappointment. But OK Computer was received positively and it was certified 2XPlatinum in the US. In England it was their first album to top the charts and all their albums have done that ever since. They also had three top ten hits in England including No Surprises. OK Computer is the album that established Radiohead and it's the first album you should get. Radiohead is still around. Of course they aren't as popular today as they were. They released a new CD last year and they toured to support it. They recently released a 20th anniversary box set of OK Computer. My guess is we'll see new music from them in 2018 along with a tour. Here's the video for No Surprises by Radiohead.

Germaine De Randamie vs Marion Reneau added to Sept. 2 UFC show

UFC Europe announced today on Twitter that Germaine De Randamie vs Marion Reneau has been added to UFC Fight Night 115 Sept. 2 at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This match will be on the main card on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. So we all know what happened with Germaine after she won the Featherweight Championship. I don't know why anyone would be surprised that she would refuse to fight Cris Cyborg. Her body language in her post fight interview told me that. So now you're asking why Dana White didn't fire her. It's like I said before. This whole schmozzle was his fault. He put Germaine in that position unnecessarily. And the other thing is at home in The Netherlands, she's a draw because of her days as The Iron Lady of kickboxing. If you think those fans will boo her, you're wrong. They love her. As good as Germaine was at kickboxing, she stinks at MMA. So I don't know how long her contract runs. But I don't expect the UFC to renew it. It's the same thing with Marion. She's 40 years old at the fringes of the Bantamweight division because she lacks aggression. That's what happened in her last fight against Bethe Correia. She did nothing for two rounds. After her trainer Doug Marshall read her the riot act, Marion won round three 10-8 and earned a draw. Afterwards she admitted her lack of aggression cost her a win. Again, I don't know her contract situation. But at her age, she needs to be more aggressive if she wants to get anywhere. Or she should quit MMA and go back to her high school phys ed class. This fight is on the main card because Germaine is fighting at home. But I don't expect a good fight.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Ray

Artist:Michael Ray
Song:Think A Little Less
Album:Michael Ray





Michael Ray parlayed a TV talent contest win into a record deal and the number one country music hit Think A Little Less. He is currently on tour. He was born Michael Ray Roach Apr. 29, 1988 in Eustis, FL which is a suburb of Orlando. His grandfather was a local country gospel musician and he taught Ray to play guitar and allowed him to tag along to gigs. After graduating high school, Ray played locally and was eventually noticed by manager Tony Conway who got him on the CW talent show The Next: Fame Is At Your Doorstep. You never heard of that one? There was only one season in 2012. John Rich of Big & Rich was Ray's mentor on the show. After Ray won the show, Rich got him a deal with Warner Nashville. First the EP Kiss You In The Morning was released. When the single was a top ten country hit, Ray recorded a full album with veteran producer Scott Hendricks. Hendricks produces Blake Shelton. Ray's debut album Michael Ray was released Aug. 2015. Think A Little Less topped the Country Singles chart. The song was written by Barry Dean, Jon Nite, Thomas Rhett and Jimmy Robbins. Rhett is a successful recording artist and the son of Rhett Akins. The other three guys are all veteran songwriters who have written plenty of hits. Ray has only one songwriting credit on the album. It's likely he will have more input about song selection on his next album. Until then, Ray was opening for Brantley Gilbert and Darius Rucker and he is still on tour. He also appeared in an episode of the CMT series Nashville. Here's the video for Think A Little Less by Michael Ray.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brett Young

Artist:Brett Young
Song:In Case You Didn't Know
Album:Brett Young





Brett Young scored a couple of top five country hits with his debut album. In Case You Didn't Know crossed over to be a top 20 pop hit. It's too soon to tell if he can have a long music career. He was born Mar. 23, 1981 in Anaheim, CA. He started singing in high school. But he was likely headed for a baseball career as a pitcher. He was drafted out of high school by Tampa Bay and Minnesota. Instead Young attended Ole Miss, Irvine Valley College and Fresno State. But he injured his elbow in 2003. So he turned to music inspired by Gavin DeGraw. It's likely that Young was going to record Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). He self released some EPs and a couple of albums. He decided to try country music and he moved to Nashville. He signed with Big Machine in 2015. An EP was released and when Sleep Without You reached #3 on the Country Singles chart, he recorded an album with producer Dann Huff. Huff also produces Rascal Flatts. That's a group that mixes country and CCM and that's where Young is at too. In Case You Didn't Know reached #2 on the Country Singles chart and it reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. Young co-wrote most of the songs. He wrote In Case You Didn't Know with singer songwriter Trent Tomlinson, Tyler Reeve and Kylie Schlienger. Young is currently on tour and I expect him to record after the tour. We'll get a better idea of his longevity with his second album. Here's the video for In Case You Didn't Know by Brett Young.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Patti LaBelle

Artist:Patti LaBelle
Song:If Only You Knew
Album:The Essential Patti LaBelle





Patti LaBelle had her greatest success on MCA Records with her number one hit On My Own in 1986. Before that she had a brief run on Philadelphia International. If Only You Knew was Patti's first number one R&B hit in 1983. By the time she signed with MCA, Patti knew what was needed for success. After LaBelle split up in 1975, Patti signed with Epic Records. She recorded four albums for Epic. The first two were with LaBelle producer David Rubinson and then one each with Skip Scarborough and Allen Toussaint. The albums didn't perform as well as expected and there were no hit singles. So Patti moved to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International (PI) label in 1981. This label was very successful in the 70s. But by this time, they were coming to the end of their run. Patti also appeared in the Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short To Box With God. If Only You Knew is from Patti's second of three PI albums I'm In Love Again and it was her first #1 R&B hit. Patti worked on the album while appearing on Broadway and shooting the film A Soldier's Story. She worked with several producers supervised by Gamble. If Only You Knew was produced by PI house producer Dexter Wansel and Wansel wrote the song with frequent songwriting partner Cynthia Biggs. When they argued over the lyrics, Gamble solved the dispute and that's why he gets a songwriting credit. The song also crossed over to pop and the album was certified Gold. Patti recorded one more album for PI and then they changed distributors from Columbia to Capitol. They would close in 1987. Meanwhile Patti recorded New Attitude for the film Beverly Hills Cop. When that was a top ten hit, Patti signed with MCA and that's when she had her greatest success. But without her success at PI, maybe MCA doesn't sign her. This 2CD comp covers Patti's entire career. Here's Patti LaBelle performing If Only You Knew on Soul Train 1983.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Leslie Smith vs Amanda Lemos

Here's the match video of Leslie Smith vs Amanda Lemos from yesterday's UFC show in Glasgow. This fight aired on UFC Fight Pass. Amanda came in on short notice after Lina Lansberg got injured. She's undersized for a Bantamweight. Leslie is mainly a striker. Of course the UFC likes her because she'll fight anyone. But she's not an elite fighter. Amanda looked good in round one. She landed some good shots and Leslie just kept coming. Amanda ran out of gas by round two and Leslie kept hammering her until the ref stopped the fight. Amanda said afterwards she plans to compete at Flyweight. That's why it can be worthwhile to take a short notice fight. Leslie called out Bethe Correia because she thinks it would be a fun fight. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Cynthia Calvillo vs Joanne Calderwood

Here's the match video of Cynthia Calvillo vs Joanne Calderwood from yesterday's UFC show in Glasgow. Because Joanne is from Glasgow, this was the main event for the crowd. And the crowd vibe was the best thing about the fight. The fight itself wasn't very good mainly because both fighters used the keep away strategy that always results in very little action and a decision. The strategy was better for Cynthia as she was able to land jabs from a distance and she scored a couple of takedowns that almost ended in submissions. And that was enough to give Cynthia the win. I scored the fight 30-27 for Cynthia. So did two of the judges and the third scored it 29-28. I just didn't think Joanne did enough to get the win. I guess her corner told her she was winning. Obviously I'm not a fan of the keep away strategy. But I understand why Team Alpha Male's Justin Buchholtz had Cynthia do it. Joanne is much bigger and Cynthia wanted to stay away from her Muay Thai. And Joanne wanted to avoid takedowns because her defense is terrible. And that's what really decided the fight. Cynthia was still able to score a couple of takedowns and that tipped the scales in her favour. Obviously the crowd was upset by the decision. But the decision was correct. There is really no excuse for Joanne's lack of aggression. I expect her to move up to Flyweight. Expect Cynthia to get an even tougher opponent next time out. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song of The Day-Kevon Edmonds

Artist:Kevon Edmonds
Song:24/7
Album:Smooth: Ultimate Late Night Grooves





Kevon Edmonds is the older brother of uber producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Fans should remember Kevon from his days with After 7. But he also scored a top ten hit with 24/7 in 1999. Unfortunately he didn't record again for ten years. He was born Feb. 25, 1958 in Indianapolis. Babyface formed After 7 as a vehicle for Kevon and their other brother Melvin. And they had success in the late 80s. After 7 split up in 1995. Kevon was then involved in the fictional group Milestone formed by Babyface for the film Soul Food. That group was all three Edmonds brothers and KC & JoJo. They even toured briefly but record company politics killed Milestone. Then Kevon signed with RCA and 24/7 was released in 1999. The single 24/7 reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though Babyface produced most of the album, the song 24/7 was written and produced by Angelo Ray. It was his only big hit. The CD 24/7 is out of print. But you can get 24/7 on this various artists budget CD. After that Kevon did backup vocals. He released a CD in 2009. He is currently part of the reformation of After 7. They released an album Oct. 2016 and they have been touring. The members are original members Kevon Edmonds and Keith Mitchell. The third member is original member Melvin Edmonds' son Jason Edmonds. Babyface produced the album. Here's the video for 24/7 by Kevon Edmonds.

Poor main event sucked the life out of Invicta FC 24

When Megan Anderson and then Tonya Evinger left Invicta to go to the UFC, I thought this show should have been cancelled because the main event was already weak and changing it was going to make it worse. Maybe contractually they can't cancel it. The quality of the show simply confirmed my main criticism of Invicta matchmaking. They need to stop bringing in unproven European fighters for main card matches. Let them prove themselves on the prelims. What they are doing doesn't work. I suggested to a fighter that the undefeated record has a shine to it even if the fighter turns out to be terrible. She said that shine is overrated and I agree except on a superficial level. And there's more to good matchmaking than a zero on the right side. The results bear this out. While we were all watching last night's show, Ayaka Hamasaki announced on Twitter that she is vacating the Invicta Atomweight Championship. She has a couple of options. She could be in the RIZIN Atomweight tournament except Ayaka trains RENA. So I think the more likely destination will be to challenge Ham Seo Hee for the Road FC Atomweight Championship. Like Ham, Ayaka can make real money there. I expect we will see a match for the Invicta Atomweight Championship shortly. After all the changes, the main event had former UFC fighter Milana Dudieva vs newcomer Mara Romero Borella. Not every ex-UFC fighter should be in Invicta. I never thought Milana should have been in the UFC in the first place. She's a terrible fighter and she's boring. Mara is from Italy but she now trains at American Top Team. She won by split decision but the fight was close in a bad way. There was way too much stalling. It was one of those fights where neither fighter did enough to win. Call it a no contest due to incompetence. The co-main event probably determined who will get a shot at the Atomweight belt. Jinh Yu Frey beat Ashley Cummins by unanimous decision. The fight was OK and Jinh won easily as expected. In a Welterweight match, Pam Sorenson beat Helena Kolesnyk by first round armbar. First of all, Pam missed weight. Helena is the undefeated Russian fighter who was supposed to be in the main event. The problem with her is if you watch her matches on Youtube, there's something fishy about her. The Invicta commentators admitted this. So if everyone can see this, why was she brought in? Not surprisingly, Helena looked terrible and didn't last long. In a Flyweight bout, Karina Rodriguez beat Barbara Acioly by first round TKO. Both are Invicta newcomers. Karina is a teammate of Irene Aldana. Barbara is Brazilian but she now trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. She's an attractive girl but based on this fight, she stinks. Karina is 34 years old which at this level is too old. In a Strawweight bout, Miranda Maverick beat Gabby Romero by unanimous decision. Gabby's undoing was the infamous headlock takedown. Trainers need to get fighters to stop doing this move. So Gabby beat herself. In a Strawweight match Sunna Davidsdottir beat Kelly D'Angelo by unanimous decision. Sunna wasn't able to finish but I like her though at 32 years of age, the clock is ticking on her. I could see her on a UFC Europe show sooner rather than later. And in the opening Welterweight bout, Felicia Spencer won over Amy Coleman by first round rear naked choke. Felicia needs better competition. I didn't like Amy the first time I saw her. The next Invicta show will be at the Tachi Palace in Cali end of August. They have announced a couple of fights but I will evaluate the entire card when it is announced.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Of Montreal

Artist:Of Montreal
Song:Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse
Album:Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?





Despite the name, Of Montreal are not Canadian. They aren't even a real group. It's another solo artist hiding behind a group name probably for anonymity. Kevin Barnes was born May 30, 1974 in Rocky River, OH. He grew up in Athens, GA. He did live in Montreal for a time while he was in a relationship. The name Of Montreal represents the breakup. He was having trouble putting a band together. So he moved back to Athens and became part of the Elephant 6 music collective. Elephant 6 was formed in 1991 in Denver. But they moved to Athens and bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control come from the larger group. Barnes decided to hire musicians to record and tour based on his needs. There are no permanent members. Of Montreal's music can best be described as psychedelic influenced electropop. They are also known for elaborate stage shows that are more like plays than a standard concert. Barnes has recorded for Polyvinyl Records since 2004. Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse is from the 2007 CD Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?. Barnes says he wrote the song while he was in a depression. He was under the influence of antidepressants. Heimdalsgate was the street he lived on at the time in Oslo, Norway. On this album, Barnes didn't bring in musicians. He recorded it himself. I'm told the video for this song is somewhat representative of his stage show. On his latest album Innocence Reaches, Barnes goes in the direction of Electronic Dance Music. He could go in a different direction for his next album. I guess it depends what kind of mood Barnes is in. Here's the video for Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse by Of Montreal.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Manu Dibango

Artist:Manu Dibango
Song:Soul Makossa
Album:Africadelic: The Very Best Of Manu Dibango




Sax player Manu Dibango scored a fluke top 40 hit in 1972 with Soul Makossa. It turned out to be very influential on funk and hip hop. Dibango was born Dec. 12, 1933 in Douala, French Cameroon. He started out as a founding member of the 50s group African Jazz. Then he moved to Europe in the mid-60s. He had his own band and released a few singles and he also played sessions in Paris. He didn't release an album until 1969. Then he signed with Fiesta Records who specialized in Africans living in France. The story goes that New York DJ David Mancuso found a copy of Soul Makossa at a West Indian record store in Brooklyn. He ran private parties at The Loft. Legendary DJ Frankie Crocker got his hands on a copy of Soul Makossa and played it on his popular show on WBLS in New York. Atlantic Records licensed the record from Fiesta. And then it broke nationally and reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100. Of course the song's influence was much greater than that. Among others, Kool and the Gang leader Robert "Kool" Bell has acknowledged Soul Makossa's influence. The song has been sampled on many hits including Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' and Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music. And to think that Soul Makossa was a B side of a record celebrating the Cameroon soccer team. Dibango has rerecorded Soul Makossa a couple of times. But you can get the original on this Universal comp. At 83 years old, Dibango still records and tours. He released a new album earlier this year. He also was a Special Francophone Representative for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Here's Manu Dibango performing Soul Makossa from the 1976 concert film Salsa. This video is not on Youtube.
Manu Dibango - Soul makossa by madafonka2

Syuri vs Chan-Mi Jeon added to Sept. 23 UFC show

The UFC held a press conference in Tokyo today to announce several matches for UFC Fight Night 117 Sept. 23 at Saitama Super Arena. One of those matches will have Syuri vs Chan-Mi Jeon in a Strawweight match. Didn't someone predict a few months ago that Syuri would appear on this show? Oh, that would be ME! So obviously I'm not surprised. If you're going to talk about Syuri, you have to talk about current Pancrase owner Mazakasu Sakai. Syuri was a dancer when she began to work as Karate Girl for the pro wrestling parody company Hustle. Sakai owned Hustle and after he closed it, he opened Smash. Syuri worked there too. The plan at the time was for Smash to be pro wrestling and MMA but the MMA part never took off. Sakai planned for Syuri to do both pro wrestling and MMA. When the MMA part of Smash didn't happen, he had Syuri do kickboxing for Krush and she became a champion. After Sakai closed Smash, he bought Pancrase. Meanwhile Syuri worked for Reina and other pro wrestling companies. But I wasn't surprised when in Jan. 2016, Sakai announced that Syuri would fight for Pancrase. The goal was for her to get to the UFC. I always thought her physical skills were more suited for MMA than pro wrestling. Syuri trains at the Tokyo branch of the Dutch gym Vos. Her record is 5-0. Her opponent is 19 year old Korean Chan-Mi Jeon. She made her UFC debut on short notice in June. The problem was she looked befuddled against southpaw JJ Aldrich. I'm not sure if a full camp will make much of a difference. Normally a UFC opponent should be a step up in competition for Syuri. I'm not sure that's true in this case. Syuri is a very polished fighter already. And Jeon seemed rough in her UFC debut. It might be too soon to expect much improvement from her. Anyway, congratulations to Syuri for making the UFC.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ryan Adams

Artist:Ryan Adams
Song:To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)
Album:Heartbreaker




Most fans became familiar with Ryan Adams as leader of Whiskeytown. He went solo when they split up. Heartbreaker was his 2000 solo debut CD. He's a great singer songwriter but his temper causes problems sometimes. He was born Nov. 5, 1974 in Jacksonville, NC. He was raised by his mother after his parents divorced. But Adams credits his grandmother for getting him into writing. He learned to play guitar as a teen and was in a couple of local bands. He formed Whiskeytown in 1994. And though they had some success, there were constant personnel problems and Adams was always threatening to go solo. He finally did this after Whiskeytown split up in 1999. His debut album Heartbreaker was released in 2000. The album was produced by session drummer turned producer Ethan Johns. The main musicians are the duo of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings who are a very successful act themselves. Rawlings wrote To Be Young with Adams and the duo performs the song too. The album was originally released on the alt country label Bloodshot. But Adams soon signed with Universal's Lost Highway label and they re-released it. It is available as a budget CD. Since then Adams has kept a very busy recording and touring schedule. He also recorded and toured with his band the Cardinals. He disbanded them in 2009. Adams currently records for Blue Note. When Universal bought Blue Note, they closed Lost Highway and moved all the artists to Blue Note. Adams' latest CD Prisoner was released in February and he is currently touring to support it. Here's Ryan Adams performing To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High) on the Dutch TV show 2 Meter Sessies Feb. 2002.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-King Crimson

Artist:King Crimson
Song:In The Court Of The Crimson King
Album:In The Court Of The Crimson King





Of course King Crimson were pioneers of progressive rock. The problem is the band went through so many versions that it can be difficult to tell what is worth listening to. In The Court Of The Crimson King is probably their best known album and their debut. So it's a good place to start. King Crimson began in 1967 as Giles, Giles and Fripp. Brothers Michael (drums) and Peter (bass) Giles advertised for an organist who could sing. Robert Fripp couldn't sing but he can certainly play organ. They released an unsuccessful album and decided to expand the band. They brought in keyboard and sax player Ian McDonald. And he brought Peter Sinfield with him. Though Sinfield did play piano, he was mainly a lyricist and he wrote most of King Crimson's early songs with Fripp. Fripp wanted to go in a more jazz direction. So Peter Giles was replaced by Greg Lake. And that was the band that recorded In The Court Of The Crimson King. The band tried to work with producers. But they ended up writing and producing the album themselves. Sinfield said that King Crimson was deliberately uncommercial. They didn't want any hit singles. They wanted the music to be complicated. Despite that, the album was certified Gold. There were problems with the finished version of the album. But the original masters were found in 2003. So this CD version is remastered and sounds like it is supposed to. As I said, King Crimson went through many changes. The big one at this point was Greg Lake left to join Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Then McDonald and Giles left. Giles and Lake remained to record the 1970 album In The Wake Of Poseidon. Then they left. Fripp brought in pianist Keith Tippett. But he didn't want to be in a band. Mel Collins replaced McDonald. And Gordon Haskell was the new singer. Fripp still leads a version of King Crimson. It's his vision. It doesn't seem to matter much who the other musicians are. I may look at other versions of them. But I wanted to begin here. Here's King Crimson performing In The Court Of the Crimson King.

Jango Song Of The Day-The Cramps

Artist:The Cramps
Song:Goo Goo Muck
Album:Psychedelic Jungle/Gravest Hits





The Cramps were punk music pioneers especially what became known as psychobilly. It's a mix of rockabilly and punk. The basis of The Cramps were the husband wife duo of lead singer Lux Interior (Erick Lee Purkhiser) and guitarist Poison Ivy (Kristy Marlana Wallace). Other members were a revolving door. Purkhiser and Wallace met in 1972 in Sacramento. By 1975, they were part of the developing punk scene at CBGB's in New York City. They recorded a couple of singles produced by Alex Chilton of The Box Tops and Big Star. And this led to a deal with I.R.S. Records. They opened for The Police in England. Their early singles were released on the EP Gravest Hits. Then they moved to Los Angeles. Goo Goo Muck is from the 1981 album Psychedelic Jungle. It's probably The Cramps' most popular album. Other band members at the time were Kid Congo Powers on guitar and Nick Knox on drums. Goo Goo Muck was written and first recorded in 1962 by Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads. He was a rockabilly artist from Bakersfield. Meanwhile they were in a royalty dispute with I.R.S. so The Cramps were on hold for a while. They returned in 1985. But by that time The Cramps style of music wasn't popular anymore. This twofer of Psychedelic Jungle and Gravest Hits is the best of their early sound. The Cramps continued to record and tour. I guess today they are considered punk legends and pioneers. The Cramps retired in 2006 and the Purkhiser died of a heart attack in 2009. Here's The Cramps performing Goo Goo Muck in San Francisco 1981.

Radio Paradise Song Of The Day-Neil Halstead

Artist:Neil Halstead
Song:Full Moon Rising
Album:Palindrome Hunches





Some fans may recall Neil Halstead as the lead singer of the 90s band Slowdive and then Mojave 3. He started recording solo by chance and now he has released a few solo CDs. He was born Oct. 7, 1970 in Reading, England. He was the lead singer and main songwriter of Slowdive from 1989-95. They disbanded in 1995 after losing their record deal. Halstead and two other members of Slowdrive formed Mojave 3 and signed with 4AD Records. They recorded a few albums until they went on hiatus in 2006. Halstead recorded a solo album in 2000. But he decided to go back to it after Mojave 3 disbanded. His solo music is influenced by legendary folksinger Nick Drake. Halstead's interest in surfing attracted noted surfer and singer songwriter Jack Johnson who signed Halstead to his Brushfire label with Universal distribution. The album was produced by fellow Mojave 3 member Nick Holton and the musicians seem to be his friends. Halstead's music will be of interest to folk music fans. It doesn't look like Halstead is recording or touring solo anymore. Slowdive reformed in 2014. Halstead wasn't involved at first. But he joined and Slowdive has been on tour and they released a new album in May. Here's Neil Halstead performing Full Moon Rising at New York radio station WFUV Sept. 8, 2012. BTW, AccuRadio's website has been down today.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lou Rawls with Les McCann

Artist:Lou Rawls with Les McCann
Song:Blues Is A Woman
Album:Stormy Monday





Most music fans should be familiar with Lou Rawls' R&B hits of the 70s. But he started out in gospel and he began his recording career recording jazz. Stormy Monday was his 1962 debut album. In 1958, Rawls was seriously injured in a car crash. He was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital. He was in a coma for five days and he eventually recovered. After releasing a couple of singles for small labels, Capitol Records producer Nick Venet saw Rawls perform in a West Hollywood coffee shop and he signed him in 1962. At first Rawls recorded jazz. Stormy Monday was released in 1962 with a trio led by veteran jazz pianist Les McCann along with Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums. This was McCann's band through most of the 60s. They were known as Les McCann Ltd. Rawls sings jazz standards on the album except for Blues Is A Woman which Rawls wrote. It wasn't on the original album. But it was added as a bonus track when the album was released on CD in 1989. Rawls continued to record jazz until Capitol switched him to R&B and he scored his first number one R&B hit with Love Is A Hurtin' Thing in 1967. Rawls enjoyed performing jazz when he could and it just shows how versatile he was. Here's Lou Rawls with Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Les McCann on piano, Chris Severin on bass and Billy Kilson on drums performing Blues Is A Woman at the 1989 Mount Fuji Jazz Festival in Japan.

Amanda Nunes withdrawl explained

As you all know by now, Amanda Nunes pulled out of last night's title defense against Valentina Shevchenko. Since then, Amanda has been thrown under the bus by everyone including UFC president Dana White who has himself been accused of unprofessional behaviour in the past. One would think he would know better. He went so far as to say that he thought Amanda's withdrawal was 90% mental. He did say the fight is likely to be rescheduled to UFC 215 in Edmonton. I have a theory about why Amanda pulled out that I was going to write about anyway. But I now have an official explanation from American Top Team owner and head coach Conan Silveira. Silveira told UOL in Brazil that Amanda was suffering from a sinus infection, a sore throat and she wasn't sleeping properly. Amanda has suffered from sinus infections in the past. Silveira says the problems developed during the week and as White said, they considered pulling out before the ceremonial weigh ins. When Amanda's condition hadn't improved on Saturday morning, that's when they took her to the hospital. Silveira said this was a team decision made by himself, Amanda and coaches Mike Brown and Din Thomas. Of course there are two sides to this. There are those who claim that no fighter is 100% and most of them suck it up and fight anyway. And how many times have you watched a fight where the losing fighter didn't look right. Afterwards, we learn the fighter had the flu and sucked it up and regretted it. This happened to Amanda Nunes when she lost to Sarah D'Alelio on the Jan. 5, 2015 Invicta show. If you recall, she didn't look right during that fight. We found out later that she was ill and she probably shouldn't have fought. This was before she moved to ATT. So maybe she decided that in the future she would only fight if she was 100% healthy. Silveira says that if she's not 100% healthy, she doesn't have to take unnecessary risks. He says the camp went great. But she wasn't feeling well and she wasn't improving. The team decided to pull out. I see no indication that there were weight cut problems which was the kneejerk conclusion most jumped to. BTW, Amanda has never had problems cutting weight and I have covered her career since 2010. If she would have fought last night and lost, they have an excuse. We see enough of that nonsense already. Post match excuses drive me nuts. Look, I know Silveira's explanation isn't going to satisfy some. I would prefer that Amanda fought in perfect health so there are no excuses. So I'm OK with it. Reschedule the fight.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dennis Coffey

Artist:Dennis Coffey
Song:Scorpio
Album:Big City Funk: Original Old School Breaks & Heavy Guitar Soul




Guitarist Dennis Coffey is what we call an unsung legend. Most music fans have never heard of him except maybe for the 1971 top ten hit Scorpio. But you have heard him on many Motown recordings as a member of The Funk Brothers. And he is revered by hip hop guys. They are constantly sampling his music. He was born Nov. 11, 1940 in Detroit. He learned to play guitar as a teen. And he began session work while still in high school. And that's what he did in the 60s usually for Ed Wingate's Ric-Tic label on Edwin Starr records. By 1968, Coffey was working regularly at Motown most notably for producer Norman Whitfield on Temptations hits like Cloud Nine, Ball Of Confusion and Psychedelic Shack. All the guitar solos with the wah wah effect, that's Dennis Coffey. That's his signature style. Then he forms a production company with producer Mike Theodore. Coffey releases the 1969 album Hair and Things on the small Maverick label. This leads to a deal with Clarence Avant's Sussex label and the 1971 album Evolution by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Army. Scorpio reaches #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Not surprisingly, several Funk Brothers play on the record. Musicians are Ray Monette of Rare Earth and Joe Podorsic on guitar, Bob Babbitt on bass, Earl Van Dyke on piano, Uriel Jones and Richard "Pistol" Allen on drums, "Bongo" Eddie Brown on congas and Jack Ashford on tambourine. All but Podorsic were Funk Brothers. Today the song is considered a funk classic and is frequently sampled by hip hop guys. Meanwhile he is still playing on hits like Edwin Starr's War and Freda Payne's Band Of Gold. Coffey recorded several albums for Sussex until they closed in the late 70s. This comp covers that period. Also, Coffey scored the 1974 film Black Belt Jones. Of course Coffee is featured in the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. And he published his autobiography in 2004. Dennis Coffey last recorded in 2011. But he still plays Detroit clubs. Here's Dennis Coffey with the Don Was Detroit All Star Revue with Luis Resto on keyboards, Terry "Thunder" Hughley on drums, Don Was on bass, Brian "Roscoe" White on guitar and Dino Lewis on congas performing Scorpio at the Detroit Concert of Colors July 17, 2010.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tecia Torres vs Juliana Lima

Here's the match video of Tecia Torres vs Juliana Lima from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Tecia took this fight on short notice. She said she is waiting for Michelle Waterson. But when this fight came up, she called Sean Shelby and took the fight. For years Tecia trained at American Top Team in Florida. Now that she's engaged to Raquel Pennington, Tecia has moved to Colorado Springs, CO to train with Raquel at Elevation MMA. I don't think it will make much difference. Tecia is still a one dimensional striker with no power, a points fighter. Juliana is a mediocre fighter. Her main offense is lay and pray. Round one was pretty much what I expected from this, a snoozefest. Most of the round was clinching on the fence with neither fighter doing much of anything. Ref Chris Tognoni tried to get them to stop stalling but they kept going back to it. I scored the round 9-9. But at the start of round two, Juliana attempted a takedown. Tecia took her back and won with a rear naked choke. This was Tecia's first career stoppage. Does it mean she's improved? No it means Juliana is inept. She telegraphed the takedown attempt. And it was so slow that Tecia used her quickness to take her back. I was glad the fight was over so I didn't have to watch a 15 minute snoozefest. It's going to take more than one lucky move on a terrible opponent to change my perception of Tecia. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder

Here's the match video of Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Here's the thing about Angela Hill. She's very popular because she can talk. That doesn't make her a great fighter. I thought she did OK in her UFC return against Jessica Andrade. But who thought she would win? I didn't. Angela is at a level where she will win over fighters she is supposed to beat and lose to elite fighters. I thought she would beat Ashley but I need to see something from Angela that makes me think she can beat an elite fighter. I didn't see it last night. Ashley was in TUF 23 and she probably gets one more fight after this and then goodbye. Angela needed to dominate or finish her. She didn't do that. I scored it 29-28. The judges scored it 30-27. Angela won by unanimous decision. It doesn't mean she can beat an elite fighter. Will she ever have that ability? I've seen enough of her by now that I doubt it. I would have to see a marked improvement and I don't think that will happen. She's still going to be popular because of the stuff she does outside the cage. BTW, UFC should lighten up on the costume restrictions at the ceremonial weigh ins. Fans enjoy it when Angela does that stuff. Of course she called out Paige Van Zant who is famous but not really a good fighter. Angela could win that fight. She can beat some fighters but the way she is now, getting to the elite level isn't in the cards for her. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MC Hammer

Artist:MC Hammer
Song:U Can't Touch This
Album:Icon





MC Hammer's meteoric rise began with the 1990 surprise hit U Can't Touch This. But his fall was just as meteoric and he was mostly forgotten by the end of the decade. He was born Stanley Kirk Burrell Mar. 30, 1962 in Oakland, CA. His dad was a professional gambler. I think we all know the story about Oakland A's owner and screwy old man Charles Finley saw Burrell dance and hired him and his brother as clubhouse attendants. Finley lived in Chicago so Burrell's job was to give Finley play by play over the phone. Reggie Jackson nicknamed Burrell Hammer because he looked like baseball legend Hammerin' Hank Aaron. Finley made Burrell Executive Vice President. His main job was to snitch on players. Burrell wasn't good enough to be a pro baseball player. So after graduating high school, he was in the US Navy for three years trying to figure out what to do with his life. After his discharge, he formed the Christian rap group Holy Ghost Boys and they recorded with CCM singer Jon Gibson. Then he started his own label Bustin' Records and sold records out of his car. He was going to be successful until Capitol Records paid him $1.75M to sign with them. There were no hit singles from the 1988 album Let's Get It Started. But word of mouth was enough for the album to be certified 2XPlatinum. He recorded most of the 1990 album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em on his tour bus. He performed U Can't Touch This on The Arsenio Hall Show. Capitol did not release it as a single. That's why the record only reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Technically it wasn't Burrell's biggest hit. Of course it's his most memorable song. And as most know, the song samples liberally the Rick James classic Super Freak. James wasn't even credited at first but a lawsuit fixed that. The song was a huge worldwide hit and Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em was certified Diamond. There were two other top ten hits from the album, Have You Seen Her and Pray. And he had two more top ten hits from the 1991 album Too Legit To Quit, the title track and Addams Groove. And then he faded. All those hits are on this budget comp. There was criticism about Burrell's habit of sampling entire hooks as he did on You Can't Touch This. After Too Legit To Quit, Burrell signed a new deal with Giant Records. So he didn't release a new album until 1994 called The Funky Headhunter. The album did OK but not as well as previous albums. When his 1995 album Inside Out didn't sell, Giant dropped him. He signed with Death Row Records but none of his recordings were released. Since then Burrell has recorded occasionally but he's not catching lightning in a bottle anytime soon. Burrell has plenty of business interests outside music. So you may not see him much but he's doing something. Here's the video for U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer.