AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Coleman Hell

Artist:Coleman Hell
Song:Fireproof
Album:Summerland





Coleman Hell had success in his native Canada with his 2016 debut album Summerland and the singles 2 Heads and Fireproof. He got derailed a bit but it looks like he may have a new album and tour in 2020. He was born Apr. 25, 1989 in Thunder Bay, ON. He was one half of the hip hop duo Burnz N Hell. Then he moved to Toronto and started the artist collective Sideways. After releasing a few singles and an EP, the single 2 Heads which featured a banjo caught on in dance clubs. It got him a deal with Chad Kroeger's 604 label with Columbia distribution. Fireproof was the second single and it featured a harmonica. Both singles did well on the Canadian charts and internationally in dance clubs. Hell writes and produces all his music with Rob "La+ch" Benvegnu. The album Summerland was released in 2016. Hell was nominated for a couple of Juno awards. Despite his success, Hell suffered from depression afterwards. David Friend wrote about this for Canadian Press. Hell seems to be back on track. After releasing a few singles, he plans to tour in 2020 and I expect a new album as well. It remains to be seen if Coleman Hell can be a successful recording artist. And if the spotlight doesn't agree with him, he can always write and produce for others. Here's the video for Fireproof by Coleman Hell.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Nov. 29, 2019

Asuka, Hikaru Shida and new fight announcements.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ellis Marsalis

Artist:Ellis Marsalis
Song:We Three Kings of Orient Are
Album:A New Orleans Christmas Carol




If you're looking for a jazz Christmas album, this one by legendary pianist Ellis Marsalis could be perfect. Of course Marsalis is the father of the Marsalis brothers, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis and Jason Marsalis. Ellis Marsalis is best known in New Orleans as a teacher. He not only taught his sons but Harry Connick Jr. and Nicholas Payton are among his students. Marsalis has been recording as a leader since the 80s when his sons got him a record deal at Columbia. He contributed a song to the 1991 various artists album A Jazzy Wonderland. In recent years he has recorded on his own Elm label. A New Orleans Christmas Carol was released in 2011. It's mostly jazz versions of Christmas standards like We Three Kings of Orient Are. Musicians are Roman Skakun on vibes, Bill Huntington on bass and Jason Marsalis on drums. I'm not familiar with Skakun. But Huntington and Jason Marsalis have been on several Ellis Marsalis albums. So jazz fans looking for Christmas music should check it out. I usually like to recommend a couple of jazz Christmas albums each year. Of course I never know what will be played. Here's a video for We Three Kings of Orient Are by Ellis Marsalis.

Claudia Gadelha vs Alexa Grasso added to Jan. 18 UFC show

Claudia Gadelha vs. Alexa Grasso in the works for UFC's Jan. 18 event https://t.co/S6aUJwE8O8

— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) November 24, 2019

MMA Junkie reported a few days ago that Claudia Gadelha vs Alexa Grasso has been added to the Jan. 18 UFC show. We now know that this will be UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The result of this fight will depend on which Claudia shows up. But she's had so many injuries that I don't know if she's the same fighter that she used to be. In her last fight, she used Mark Henry's keepaway strategy to beat Randa Markos. She may have been fighting conservatively due to a lingering injury. Then she pulled out of a fight due to injury. Plus her endurance has always been an issue. Meanwhile Alexa lost to Carla Esparza by majority decision because when she had the chance to finish Carla she didn't know how to do it. Her coaches were yelling at her but it's their fault that she's a points fighter. So if Claudia is back to being her old self, she should win. But I don't know if she's capable of that anymore.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Emi Sakura and Bea Priestley vs Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander

Here's the match video of Emi Sakura and Bea Priestley vs Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander from this week's episode of AEW Dynamite. This match just shows that you can't put four random wrestlers together and expect a good match. The main culprits are Emi Sakura and ref Bryce Remsberg. The reffing in AEW has been awful. They have acknowledged that but Remsberg was bad in this match. Joshi fans know that Emi Sakura is a comedy wrestler. But I don't think anyone has told AEW. She's supposed to be a heel in this match but you wouldn't know it by watching her. She comes to the ring with this Freddie Mercury shtick complete with mic stand. What the hell is that supposed to be? So later on she uses the mic stand as a weapon. And Remsberg doesn't get rid of it. So she's able to use it on Kris later to get the win. That spot misfired too. The whole match was like that and the commentary was awful as usual. AEW is doing some things well but the women's division needs a lot of work. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sandals

Artist:Sandals
Song:Nothing
Album:Rite To Silence





Sandals had success in dance clubs mostly in their native England but they were also played in the US. Record company problems forced them to disband after one album. The roots of Sandals began in the mid 80s South London club scene. Ian Simmonds, Derek Delves, Will Blanchard and John Harris hung out in local clubs. They opened a shop in 1990 and started rehearsing in the back room. Delves sang lead and played percussion, Harris played sax and flute, Simmonds played bass and Blanchard played drums. Acid Jazz Records owner Eddie Piller became their manager. Demos got the attention of Paul Daley and Neil Barnes of the production duo Leftfield. And that led to a record deal with the London Records label FFRR. Supposedly Sandals was the first Acid Jazz act to sign with a major label. Nothing was the first single in 1992. It did well enough in clubs that Sandals got to record an album. Nothing is based on the 1968 record On A Clear Day You Can See Forever by The Peddlers who were unknown outside England. Leftfield produced the record and Barnes played the piano solo. They released the 1994 album Rite To Silence and the single Feet was also successful. But then the London Records A&R exec who signed them left the label and his replacement didn't like their music. After London rejected Sandals' second album, they decided to split up. Simmonds went on to success recording as Juryman and then under his own name. He does a lot of remix work. Blanchard was in Beth Orton's band and the reformed 80s group Visage. It looks like Delves and Harris are no longer in the music business. Here's the video for Nothing by Sandals.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Town Pants

Artist:The Town Pants
Song:Breakfast At St. Swithin
Album:Weight Of Words





Fans of Celtic rock may want to check out the Canadian band The Town Pants. They are from Vancouver led by brothers Dave and Duane Keogh. They grew up in Ottawa. They led a rock band called The Van Demons. They moved to Vancouver to get into films. There are plenty of films and TV shows filmed in Vancouver and they need locals to play supporting roles and crew jobs. After The Van Demons split up, the Keoghs formed The Town Pants and recorded the 1997 album Riverdance. All their CDs are on their own label distributed by CD Baby. Aaron Chapman of The Real McKenzies joined for the 2001 album Piston Baroque. Breakfast At St. Swithin is from the 2006 CD Weight Of Words which is available as a budget CD. The music is a mix of Celtic and rock. I think Duane sings most of the leads. Fans of Celtic rock should check them out. Though The Town Pants last released an album in 2009, they still perform live. Along with the Keogh brothers, current members are classically trained violinist Johanna So and drummer Jeff Tripoli. When the Keoghs aren't leading The Town Pants, they work in the film industry. Duane is an actor and Dave works as an electrician. Here's The Town Pants performing Breakfast At St Swithin at the Music for MS Roots Music Festival in Chiswick, PA Aug. 16, 2014.

Valentina Shevchenko vs Katlyn Chookagian added to Feb. 8 UFC show

The UFC finally confirmed that there will be a PPV Feb. 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston. It will probably be called UFC 247. Valentina Shevchenko will defend her UFC Flyweight Championship against Katlyn Chookagian. In another Flyweight bout, Andrea Lee will face Lauren Murphy. Katlyn has two chances to win this fight, slim and none. And slim just left town. Her keepaway fighting style works against crappy points fighters like Jennifer Maia. I can't see her getting away with that crap for five rounds against Valentina. She is lucky that the division is very shallow and she hasn't had to fight anyone good. Her one loss as a Flyweight was by split decision to Jessica Eye. And that could have gone either way. And we all saw what Valentina did to Jessica. I expect the same thing in this fight. Andrea's calling card is sex appeal and charisma. She is an ineffective points fighter who lost her last fight by split decision to Joanne Calderwood. Lauren is very similar. So I expect fifteen minutes of light sparring and a split decision. I don't care who wins because neither of them are any good.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of RAW. This comes from Asuka misting Charlotte at Survivor Series. The WWE tries to push the narrative that Asuka betrayed her team when actually Charlotte provoked Asuka. Charlotte admitted this in an interview earlier in the show. This tells me that the WWE really wants fans to boo Asuka. I told you months ago that fans will never boo Asuka, Kairi Sane or Io Shirai no matter how evil they behave. But they boo Charlotte though she is supposed to be a babyface. They don't like that everything has been handed to Charlotte on a silver platter. The WWE is clueless to not understand this. I expected Asuka to win as there are some big matches upcoming including a TLC match. Charlotte controlled the match because she is much bigger than Asuka. But Asuka has many countermoves in her toolbox. This versatility is what makes her great. Kairi was at ringside and Charlotte made the mistake of allowing her to distract her. First she chases Kairi through the crowd and Kairi disappears for a while. She returns at the end of the match. And all she has to do is make faces at Charlotte to get her to come after her. Meanwhile, Asuka loads the mist and while Kairi distracts the ref, Asuka sprays Charlotte and rolls her up for the win. Asuka's ear to ear smile tells everything. And the fans loved it too. As I said, fans won't boo Asuka no matter what she does. This Sunday the WWE Network will air an hour of an Atlanta house show that is a tribute to Starrcade. The Kabuki Warriors will face Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch in a Texas Tornado match. I hope that will air. Keep in mind that Asuka and Kairi have never done that kind of match. They aren't done in Japan. I'm not concerned because the WWE just has to explain it to Asuka and she will lay out the match accordingly. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-FRENSHIP

Artist:FRENSHIP f/Emily Warren
Song:Capsize
Album:NRJ Winter Hits 2017





It's impossible to use charts to measure the success of the 2016 single Capsize because the success was viral due to Spotify. This is something Billboard struggles with. But make no mistake. Capsize was a global smash. But the chart placement doesn't reflect that. James Sunderland and Brett Hite met while working at a Lululemon store in Los Angeles. They started creating music and as FRENSHIP, they released the 2015 song Knives to Soundcloud. This was produced with Norwegian producer Matoma. After releasing a couple more songs online, they signed with Columbia Records. Since FRENSHIP's success had been online, Columbia decided to release Capsize to Spotify instead of the traditional route. The song has done over 500M stream on Spotify and charted worldwide. The featured singer is Emily Warren. Though she released a 2017 album, Emily is mainly known as a songwriter. She has co-written hits for The Chainsmokers and Dua Lipa among others. She wrote Capsize with Sunderland, Hite and Scott Hoffman formerly of Scissor Sisters. Capsize was released only as a digital single. But you can get it on some various artists comp CDs like this Sony 3CD budget comp. Since then FRENSHIP released the album Vacation in 2019. But there hasn't been a hit single from that album. So it doesn't look like FRENSHIP will be able to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Their future is likely in producing other artists. Here's the video for Capsize by FRENSHIP featuring Emily Warren. The dancers are Matthew Peacock and Kayla Kalbfleisch.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Nov. 25, 2019

NXT Takeover and Survivor Series reviews.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Team NXT vs Team Smackdown vs Team RAW

Here's the match video of Team NXT vs Team Smackdown vs Team RAW women's match from last night's Survivor Series. The show turned out to be a 3 1/2 hour promo for NXT. As tends to happen with this kind of match, it was a mixed bag with a very stupid finish centering on bogus injuries. Phony injuries are a regular part of the WWE but they do far too many of them. Plus we know when injuries are phony. And in this case, they used them to screw up the finish. We did briefly get a Io Shirai vs Kairi Sane showdown. Eventually Asuka came in and cleaned house. It turned into a finisher buffet which is common in these kind of matches. Io Shirai and Candice LeRae were seemingly injured on the floor and carried to the back. When a replay wasn't shown and then Michael Cole said there was no replay, I knew the injuries were phony because they have replays of everything. Then Team RAW captain Charlotte Flair let her enormous out of control ego get in the way. She tagged herself in and when Asuka took exception to that, the end result was Asuka sprayed her with the green mist and then she left. Lacey Evans pinned Charlotte. At the end Rhea Ripley and Sasha Banks are remaining. Io and Candice come out. What do you know? They weren't really injured. An Io Shirai springboard dropkick led to Rhea winning the match with her Riptide finisher. So the phony injuries were done to make NXT look like underdogs when what they really did was cheat fans of a good finish to this match. It was a bad idea not to mention unnecessary. I expect the conflict between Asuka and Charlotte to lead to the main event of next month's TLC show. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Qualities

Artist:The Qualities
Song:It's Christmas Time
Album:Singles: The Definitive 45s Collection Vol. 1: 1952-1961



Most jazz fans should be familiar with the interplanetary sounds of Herman "Sun Ra" Blount. But back in the 50s he produced all kinds of music including this doo wop Christmas single. All of Sun Ra's 50s singles are on this 2CD comp. After WWII, Blount moved from his home in Birmingham, AL to Chicago. He worked in bands led by Wynonie Harris, Fletcher Henderson and Coleman Hawkins. Blount's fascination with Egyptology led to the 1952 name change to Sun Ra. Eventually he formed what would become the Sun Ra Arkestra with sax players John Gilmore and Marshall Allen. Those two were in his band for forty years. Blount met a teen named Alton Abraham who became his manager. They started El Saturn Records in 1957. They not only released Sun Ra singles. But they also released singles by The Cosmic Rays, The Lintels, The Clock Stoppers and The Metros. The best known of these singles is It's Christmas Time by the anonymous doo wop group The Qualities. Happy New Year To You is the B side. The vocal arrangement is straight doo wop. But the instrumental backing is unusual featuring Sun Ra on harmonium. It sounds like a Christmas song from outer space. The record was recorded in 1957 but released in 1960. The record was thought to be lost until Norton Records found it and released it in 2011. It appears on a couple of Sun Ra comps. The popular band Yo La Tengo recorded a cover of It's Christmas Time. They are big Sun Ra fans. Here's a video of It's Christmas Time by The Qualities. Thanks to Anton Spice of The Vinyl Factory for the info about this record.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Team Rhea Ripley vs Team Shayna Baszler

Here's the match video of Team Rhea Ripley vs Team Shayna Baszler from last night's NXT Takeover show. This is the first ever women's War Games match. Mia Yim was supposed to be on Rhea's team. But she was attacked backstage and taken to hospital. She is replaced by Dakota Kai who was left off the team a few weeks ago. This match is really good except for the flat finish. I'll get into that in a minute. Io Shirai and Candice LeRae start the match. Io is finally as vicious as I would like. She beats the crap out of Candice. And then Bianca Belair joins her. Then Rhea comes out followed by Kay Lee Ray. Now it's Dakota Kai's turn but instead she turns on her best friend Tegan Nox. Dakota destroys Tegan and even hits NXT GM Steven Regal. Of course the WWE treats this heel turn like it's a big surprise. But I think many fans expected it. I certainly did. Sometimes the predictable thing is the right thing to do. Now the match is four vs. two. I guess at this point the WWE couldn't decide what to do. That usually leads to WWE creative paralysis. They teased the correct finish when Shayna pulled out handcuffs. She attempted to put them on Rhea and cuff her to the ropes while the others destroy Candice. Instead later on they had Shayna use her finisher to put Rhea to sleep. Rhea got out of it and after cuffing herself to Shayna, she dropped Shayna on some chairs for the win. It was very flat and unnecessary. First it made Shayna look like a dope. I guess they wanted Rhea to look strong going into leading the NXT Survivor Series team. But my finish is more realistic and it doesn't hurt Rhea. She could be booked very strong watching in horror as Candice gets killed. She didn't need a hokey finish to get over. As I expected, Io did a moonsault from the top of the cage. And the fans loved her despite being evil. So other than the wrong finish, this match is worth watching. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Luke Combs

Artist:Luke Combs
Song:Even Though I'm Leaving
Album:What You See Is What You Get





Luke Combs made a big splash on the country charts with his 2017 debut album This One's For You. With his new album What You See Is What You Get and the single Even Though I'm Leaving, he's crossing over to pop. He was born Mar. 2, 1990 in Charlotte, NC and he grew up in Ashville. He performed as a child. But he got serious about music while attending Appalachian State University. A month before completing college, Combs moved to Nashville. After self releasing a couple of EPs, Combs signed with Columbia Records. The singles When It Rains It Pours and Beautiful Crazy topped the Country Singles chart. This One's For You was certified 2XPlatinum. Combs new album What You See Is What You Get was released a couple of weeks ago. Even Though I'm Leaving reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. And it crossed over to pop reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both albums were produced by Scott Moffat of the Canadian pop group The Moffats. Combs writes his own songs usually with Ray Fulcher, an aspiring singer songwriter who just released an EP. The third writer of Even Though I'm Leaving is Wyatt Durette who normally writes songs for the Zac Brown Band. The mandolin solo is by Russian born Nashville session musician Ilya Toshinsky. Combs is on tour to support the album. Last year Combs won a bunch of CMA and Billboard Music Awards. He's off to a very good start. Here's the video for Even Though I'm Leaving by Luke Combs.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jade

Artist:Jade
Song:Don't Walk Away
Album:Jade To The Max





The R&B girl group Jade scored a top five hit with Don't Walk Away in 1992. They only recorded two albums before splitting up. The man behind Jade was writer and producer Vassal Benford and his frequent songwriting partner Ron Spearman. Benford produced hits for Tramaine and Klymaxx. Benford sold the song I Wanna Love You to appear on the 1992 Kid 'n' Play film Class Act. The singers were Joi Marshall, Angela Slates and Debra Mitchell. He called them Jade. When that single was a top 20 pop hit, Benford signed a deal with Giant Records. The problem was Jade had already split up. It's possible Benford intended the group as a one shot. That changed when the song became a hit. Joi Marshall stayed and Di Reed and Tonya Kelly joined for the 1992 album Jade To The Max. Benford already had those two under contract. Joi and Tonya are from Chicago. Di is from Houston. The album was released and Don't Walk Away reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This samples the Stevie Wonder song That Girl. Both hits are on the album. They toured and appeared on The Tonight Show and other TV shows. They appeared on BET's Listening Party which was released on CD. I guess Jade split with Benford because they wrote and produced the 1994 album Mind, Body & Song with various producers. The album did OK but not as well as the first album. Jade left Giant and after a couple of singles for Hollywood Records, they split up. Di is a featured singer with Rod Stewart. She has also toured as a background singer for other acts. Joi released a gospel album in 2007. It doesn't look like Tonya stayed in the music business. Here's the video for Don't Walk Away by Jade.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Nov. 22 2019

Asuka, Hikaru Shida, NXT Takeover and Survivor Series preview and new fight announcements.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio

Artist:Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio
Song:That Old Thing
Album:Across the Imaginary Divide




Banjo whiz Bela Fleck is best known for his band The Flecktones. These days he records and tours with his banjo playing wife Abigail Washburn. But Fleck will record any kind of music to change your perception of what can be done with a banjo. He recorded this 2012 album with jazz pianist Marcus Roberts. Roberts started out in the 80s as the pianist with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and he has recorded as a leader since 1988. Fleck was performing at the 2009 Savannah Music Festival in Savannah, GA. He was told that Roberts was planning to do an informal jam session. As a fan, Fleck really wanted to play with Roberts anyway. And from that jam session, the two decided to record together. The album was recorded with Roberts' usual trio of Rodney Jordan on bass and Jason Marsalis on drums. Fleck wanted to make a jazz album just to show how versatile the banjo is. What I find interesting is they didn't record any jazz standards. All the songs are written by either Fleck or Roberts. And they aren't even new songs. That Old Thing first appeared on the 2000 Flecktones album Outbound. The album was released June 2012 and the two toured briefly to support it. Roberts returned to recording and touring with his trio. Fleck has recorded two albums with Chick Corea and he has appeared on albums by guitarist Bernie Williams and pianist McCoy Tyner. Here's a video for That Old Thing by Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio.

Two women's matches added to Jan. 25 UFC show

Elbow Queen! 💪👑@LinaLansberg looks to make it 3️⃣ straight when she faces @Sara_McMann at #UFCRaleigh! pic.twitter.com/rcDWOzLskv

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) November 20, 2019

Two women's matches have been added to UFC on ESPN+ 24 Jan. 25 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. in a Bantamweight bout, Sara McMann will face Lina Lansberg. And in a Strawweight bout, Brianna Van Buren will face Hannah Cifers. The last time we saw Sara she lost to Marion Reneau in Feb. 2018. She is now on the comeback trail from a knee injury. Of course Sara is a 2006 Olympic Silver Medal wrestler. Her MMA record is 11-5. She is currently on a two fight losing streak. She now trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. Here she is returning from a major injury at 39 years old. Who knows what she will be like? Lina is 37 years old from Malmo, Sweden. She trains with former UFC fighter Akira Corassani. Her record is 10-5 and 4-3 in the UFC. She is currently on a two fight winning streak. Lina is a kickboxer. She doesn't do anything else well. But she is capable of pulling off an upset if her opponent is off her game. Brianna is 26 years old from Gilroy, CA. Her record is 9-2. She won the Invicta Strawweight Championship in a tournament. She came to the UFC in July as a late replacement and she beat former Invicta Strawweight Champion Livinha Souza. Hannah is 27 years old from Oxford, NC. Her record is 10-3 and 2-1 in the UFC. She's on a two fight winning streak but this is a big step up in competition level for her. Hannah is a hard puncher but she is otherwise limited. I expect Brianna's higher competition level to catch up to her.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Britt Baker

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Britt Baker from last night's episode of AEW Dynamite. The winner of this match probably gets a shot at Riho's AEW Women's Championship. Now that Hikaru has moved to the US, it's time to put the title on her. AEW has tried to push Britt as a star. But she's not good enough in the ring and she lacks charisma. This match was probably Britt's best AEW match to date. But she still screwed up by not executing the draping DDT properly. And even Jim Ross noticed that she seemed frustrated. The match was competitive but Hikaru hit a Falcon Arrow followed by a knee strike for the win. Though I would like to see Hikaru go full blown heel on Riho, I don't think fans will boo her. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Motorhead

Artist:Motorhead
Song:Ace Of Spades
Album:Best Of





I guess it could be said that Motorhead is the definitive power rock trio. They were mostly an album and touring band though they scored some hit singles in England. Ace Of Spades was one of their early hits and a signature song. Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister was the leader of Motorhead. He was fired from the popular space rock band Hawkwind for a 1975 drug possession arrest in Canada. So he formed a new band Motorhead after the last song he wrote for Hawkwind. Motorhead was heavily influenced by MC5. Kilmister wanted the music to be loud and fast. He brought in guitarist Larry Wallis who had been in The Pink Fairies among others and drummer Lucas Fox. After a few gigs, Motorhead signed with United Artists which was Hawkwind's label. They recorded with Dave Edmunds producing. During the sessions, Fox proved to be unreliable and he was replaced by Kilmister's friend Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. UA didn't like the album and shelved it. When Motorhead added second guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, Wallis left. They were going to split up and Ted Carroll of Chiswick Records was going to record their farewell gig. Instead they recorded the 1977 album Motorhead which Chiswick released. Then they got a new manager who got them out of the UA contract and signed them to Bronze Records. They had chart success with singles like Louie Louie, Overkill and Bomber. This led to the 1980 album Ace Of Spades produced by Vic Maile who produced Hawkwind. This was Motorhead's first US release on Mercury. The single Ace Of Spades reached #15 on the British Singles chart. And the album was certified Gold in England. After that Motorhead had international success as an album and touring band. Clarke left in 1982 to form Fastway. He was replaced by Phil Campbell and Michael "Wurzel" Burston. Taylor left in 1984 but returned in 1987. After a legal dispute with Bronze, Motorhead eventually signed with Epic. They also recorded for the German label Steamhammer. Sanctuary now owns the rights to Motorhead's catalog and they released this budget comp. Motorhead continued to record and tour until Kilmister died on Dec. 28, 2015 at age 70. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Motorhead's popularity with WWE fans after performing the theme for Paul "HHH" Levesque. Kilmister and Levesque became close friends and Levesque spoke at his funeral. Here's the video for Ace Of Spades by Motorhead.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Benny Golson

Artist:Benny Golson
Song:Whisper Not
Album:1957-1962 The Classic Albums Collection





Not only is Benny Golson one of the all time tenor sax greats but he is an all time great composer and arranger. Several of his songs have become jazz standards including Whisper Not, I Remember Clifford, Killer Joe and Blues March. He was born Jan. 25, 1929 in Philadelphia. As a teen he played with John Coltrane, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Red Garland and others. After graduating from Howard University, Golson joined Bull Moose Jackson's R&B band. The pianist in that band Tadd Dameron was a big influence on Golson's writing. He joined Dameron's band in 1953. Golson also played with Lionel Hampton, Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Golson wrote Whisper Not while he was in Gillespie's big band. And it appears on the 1957 album Birks Works. Trumpeter Lee Morgan recorded it on his 1957 album Dizzy Atmosphere. Both guys were in the Jazz Messengers when it appeared on the album 1958 Paris Olympia. Whisper Not also appears on Golson's debut album as a leader, Benny Golson's New York Scene on Contemporary Records in 1959. Musicians are Art Farmer on trumpet, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Charlie Persip on drums. A horn section is added for Whisper Not with Gigi Gryce in alto sax, Sahib Shihab on baritone sax, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone and Julius Watkins on French horn. Soon after this Golson formed a band with Farmer and they recorded several albums. You can get all those albums on this 4CD box set. The original album is also available on CD. And Concord has released a Best of Benny Golson CD that includes Whisper Not. Whisper Not is a jazz standard that has been recorded by many artists. In the late 60s, Golson moved to Los Angeles and composed for TV shows like It Takes A Thief, The Partridge Family, Room 222 and MASH. Golson returned to recording in the late 70s and has been very active ever since. His latest album Horizon Ahead was released on High Note in 2016. And he is currently on tour. Here's Benny Golson performing Whisper Not with Freddie Hubbard on flugelhorn, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums in Tokyo 1987.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Natalya

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Natalya from last night's episode of RAW. After Asuka tapped out to Nattie's Sharpshooter during a tag team match a couple of weeks ago, Dave Meltzer reported the finish was wrong due to miscommunication. So Asuka was going to have to get that back. And that's why this match was done last night. Both will be on RAW's Survivor Series team. Asuka was wearing new gear. The difference between them is obvious based on ring entrances. Asuka has a real feel for showmanship. Nattie is just dull. The match was OK. It was nothing special. For my tastes, Nattie got in way too much offense. I would have preferred a glorified squash. Asuka is way too generous. Kairi Sane tried to get involved outside the ring. Nattie took her out and then threw Asuka into the barrier. Back in the ring, Asuka hit a head kick and the match was over. So it was an abrupt finish. As I said, Asuka needs to be more dominant in this match. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Box Car Racer

Artist:Box Car Racer
Song:I Feel So
Album:Kerrang! 4: The Album





While a Blink-182 tour was delayed, lead singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge recorded the 2002 album Box Car Racer. The album and subsequent tour was successful so he could have continued the band. But DeLonge was trying to make a point to Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus. DeLonge was unhappy with Blink-182's direction. He thought they were getting too commercial and watered down. Of course this caused conflict with Hoppus. Touring was delayed due to DeLonge's back problems. So he decided to work on music apart from Blink-182. Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker worked on it too. And Delonge knew guitarist David Kennedy from the San Diego music scene. Box Car Racer was the name of Barker's high school band. DeLonge's idea was to make music that was similar to what Blink-182 used to do. Kennedy was a punk rock guy and DeLonge had become good friends with him. MCA Records signed Box Car Racer intending to sell it to Blink-182 fans. Hoppus was upset because Barker was in the band and he wasn't. But DeLonge didn't want Box Car Racer to become Blink-182. At the time it felt like Blink-182 had split up. The album was released May 2002. Box Car Racer toured to support it. Bassist Anthony Celestino was hired for the tour. The single I Feel So charted on the Alt Rock chart. The album was certified Gold. So DeLonge could have continued Box Car Racer but he decided not to so he could reform Blink-182. The album served its purpose because though Hoppus was upset, he got DeLonge's message and Blink-182's next album was more satisfying for DeLonge. That didn't end the tension and Blink-182 did split up in 2005. Box Car Racer is available on CD but it's expensive. I Feel So is on this 2CD various artists budget comp from the magazine Kerrang!. After Blink-182 split up, DeLonge and Kennedy formed Angels & Airwaves and that band is very successful. Here's the video for I Feel So by Box Car Racer.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-RyanDan

Artist:RyanDan
Song:Like The Sun
Album:RyanDan





Identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky have had chart success in their native Canada and in England first as b4-4 and then as RyanDan with the 2007 single Like The Sun. They were born Dec. 5, 1979 in Cincinnati but they grew up in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill. Their father Paul Kowarsky is a South African who moved to Canada. He is an opera singer and a synagogue cantor. The twins appeared in a high school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Then they waltzed into Sony Music Canada and auditioned. They got a record deal with their friend Ohad Einbinder as b4-4. They released an album in 2000 and scored a top five hit in Canada with Get Down. The group split up after two albums because the twins hated the music. They moved to England to become RyanDan. They signed with Universal Canada and recorded the 2007 CD RyanDan with producer Steve Anderson. He is the longtime producer of Kylie Minogue. The album did well in Canada and England and the single Like The Sun charted. Anderson has also produced singer songwriter Judie Tzuke. She wrote Like The Sun and also directed the choir. RyanDan recorded a second album for a 2010 release. But it got shelved. After releasing the 2014 album Imagine, RyanDan opened for Shania Twain at her Caesars Palace residency in Las Vegas. They are still around. Ryan Kowarsky released a single in June. They have also produced artists like Mia Martina and currently Youtube star Dan Talevsky. Here's the video for Like The Sun by RyanDan.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Nov. 17, 2019

UFC on ESPN+ 22 review and new fight announcement.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tracy Cortez vs Vanessa Melo

Here's the match video of Tracy Cortez vs Vanessa Melo from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This fight was at Bantamweight. This fight was supposed to be Duda Santana vs Leah Letson. They both dropped out. I liked Tracy from her Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series appearance. She looked pretty good in this fight too. A lot of this fight was Tracy trying to get a takedown on the fence and Vanessa trying to stop her. So there was a lot of clinching on the fence. And the crowd booed. But Tracy did enough so the ref didn't need to break it up. Tracy was generally more effective so I scored the fight 30-27 for Tracy. Two of the judges scored it the same and the third scored it 29-28. I don't think Vanessa did enough to win a round. Afterwards, Tracy dedicated the win to her late brother who was an aspiring MMA fighter who died of cancer. We'll see how she does against better competition. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ariane Lipski vs Isabela De Padua

Here's the match video of Ariane Lipski vs Isabela De Padua from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This fight was at Flyweight. Ariane's original opponent was Priscila Cachoeira. After she flunked a drug test, Veronica Macedo replaced her. After she suffered severe headaches on Wednesday, Isabela was brought in on two days notice. She did miss weight and I expect her to drop back to Strawweight after this fight. Someone asked me about finding a fighter on such short notice. There are plenty of fighters there. They just have to find to who will accept the fight. Ariane came to the UFC with a rep as a former KSW champ. She admitted that she wasn't as aggressive as she needed to be in those fights. And she trained at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas to address that. She looked better but I still see problems. Ariane came out aggressively in round one. She dropped Isabela and landed some ground and pound. Isabela turned it around but didn't do much on top. I scored the round 10-9 for Ariane. She was even better in round two which was close to 10-8. And then Isabela was docked a point for an illegal upkick. That made it a 10-8 round. Isabela needed a finish in round three. She won the round 10-9 but didn't come close to a finish. I scored the fight 29-27 for Ariane. Two of the judges scored it 30-26 for Ariane and the third scored it 29-27. After Ariane won the first two rounds, round three didn't matter much. Obviously Ariane was better in this fight. I think she needs to improve her takedown defense as she is not very good on the ground. She will have trouble with ranked fighters. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MGMT

Artist:MGMT
Song:Of Moons, Birds & Monsters
Album:Oracular Spectacular





MGMT is an indie band who have been successful as an album and touring band. Their 2007 debut album Oracular Spectacular was successful enough to keep them going. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden were attending Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT when they started experimenting with electronic music. They called themselves The Management but that name was already in use so it was shortened to MGMT. After graduating in 2005, they released an EP and toured to support it. They opened for Of Montreal. This led to a record deal with Columbia which they thought was a joke because they know their music isn't commercial. Of Moons, Birds & Monsters is from MGMT's 2007 debut album Oracular Spectacular. The album was produced by Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann. The album was certified Gold and it was very successful internationally. It was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2007 and MGMT were nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy. In the studio, MGMT is just Goldwasser and VanWyngarden. But they hire musicians for touring. Since the success if Oracular Spectacular, MGMT continues to record and tour. They have released four albums. Their latest CD Little Dark Age was released in 2018. Goldwasser has moved to Los Angeles and VanWyngarden still lives in New York. So they don't even see each other unless they are recording or touring. They communicate by email. MGMT is finishing a tour. So they could be heading into the recording studio to record new music soon. Here's MGMT performing Of Moons, Birds & Monsters on MTV Live 2008.

Maycee Barber vs Roxanne Modafferi added to Jan. 18 UFC show

In a matchup that will touch pretty much every generation of women's MMA, @MayceeBarber will meet @RoxyFighter at #UFC246. https://t.co/4l04kjGRHu

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) November 13, 2019

Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie reported that Maycee Barber vs Roxanne Modafferi has been added to UFC 246 Jan. 18 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This fight will be at Flyweight. I guess Maycee has given up on fighting Paige VanZant. I didn't think that would happen because it takes two to tango. Maycee is 21 years old from Fort Collins, CO. She now trains at Roufusport in Milwaukee. Her record is 8-0 and 3-0 in the UFC. I like her because she finishes fights. And in her last fight she clobbered Gillian Robertson who has a very dangerous ground game. Already some are describing Roxanne as a gatekeeper. Actually I think Gillian is more dangerous than Roxanne. So I think this fight is a timewaster. Roxanne has been around for years. She's not an elite fighter. She's a journeyman. At one time she refused to punch anyone but John Wood of Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas broke her of that stupid habit. She's 2-3 in the UFC. If she had won her last fight over Jennifer Maia, Roxanne would have faced Katlyn Chookagian for a title shot. If she can't beat a mediocre points fighter like Jennifer, there's no way she beats someone as aggressive as Maycee. That's why this fight is a timewaster. The UFC has to delay Maycee's ascent because Katlyn Chookagian will get the next title shot. Then the winner of Viviane Araujo vs Jessica Eye could be Maycee's next opponent. And the winner of that will get a title shot probably late 2020.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rickie Lee Jones

Artist:Rickie Lee Jones
Song:Chuck E.'s In Love
Album:Rickie Lee Jones/Pirates




Chuck E.'s In Love was a top five hit in 1979. It was the only big hit for singer songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. She's still around so it was enough to sustain a forty year career. She was born Feb. 8, 1954 in Chicago but she grew up in Phoenix and Olympia, WA. Her grandparents were in vaudeville. After Rickie Lee was thrown out of high school, she got her GED and moved to Huntington Beach, CA on her 18th birthday. She started performing in local coffee houses. After Rickie Lee began a relationship with Tom Waits in 1977, she came to the attention of former Little Feat leader Lowell George. He recorded her song Easy Money on his 1978 album Thanks I'll Eat It Here. And that led to her demo coming to the attention of Warner Bros. Exec Lenny Waronker. He signed her and produced the 1979 debut album Rickie Lee Jones with Randy Newman's producer Russ Titleman. Chuck E.'s In Love reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified Platinum. The song is about her musician friend Chuck E. Weiss and the time he disappeared. The cream of LA studio musicians appeared on the album along with special guests Dr. John, Michael McDonald and Randy Newman. Johnny Mandel wrote the arrangements. Rickie Lee was nominated for four Grammys and she won for Best New Artist. Rickie Lee Jones is available as a budget CD. But Warners has released it with Rickie Lee's second album Pirates as a twofer. Rickie Lee split with Waits in 1979. Most of Pirates and her songs for Francis Ford Coppola's 1982 film One From The Heart are about that breakup. Though Rickie Lee has never repeated the commercial success of Chuck E.'s In Love, she has continued to record her jazz influenced songs. She took a four year break after leaving Warners in 1984. She has since recorded for Geffen, Reprise, Artemis, V2 and Fantasy. She released her latest CD Kicks in June in her own label. Rickie Lee Jones is currently on a European tour. Here's the video for Chuck E.'s In Love by Rickie Lee Jones.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Nov. 15, 2019

Riho, the Kabuki Warriors, Io Shirai, UFC on ESPN+ 22 preview and new fight announcement.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The James Taylor Quartet

Artist:The James Taylor Quartet
Song:Theme from Starsky and Hutch
Album:Wait A Minute





James Taylor is an organist who was a big part of establishing England's Acid Jazz scene in the late 80s. Those into funk will want to check them out. Taylor is from Rochester, Kent, England. He was in the 80s neo-psychedelic band The Prisoners. They released four albums and split up in 1986. Taylor and Prisoners bassist Alan Crockford decided to start a jazz band. Other members were Taylor's brother David Taylor on guitar and drummer Simon Howard. Both guys were in The Daggermen. Their first single was a cover of Herbie Hancock's theme for the film Blow Up. This got the attention of legendary BBC DJ John Peel. Taylor appeared on one of Peel's BBC Sessions radio shows. This led to the band recording several movie and TV themes like Mission Impossible, Alfie and Goldfinger. The 1988 album Wait A Minute was Taylor's first album for Polydor. The album was mostly produced by veteran session musician Pete Wingfield, known for his blue eyed soul classic Eighteen With A Bullet. The big hit and one of Taylor's signature songs was this cover of Tom Scott's theme from the TV show Starsky and Hutch. That was produced by Simon Booth of the band Working Week and it featured horns by the studio group The Kick Horns. The trombone solo is by the great Fred Wesley. Pee Wee Ellis also appears. That really got them going and they got into the Acid Jazz scene and used guest vocalists on their albums. You may have heard The James Taylor Quartet in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Taylor still leads the band. They released the 2018 album Soundtrack from Electric Black. And they are a terrific live band. They are very popular in England. Here's The James Taylor Quartet performing Theme from Starsky and Hutch at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Mia Yim

Here's the match video of Io Shirai vs Mia Yim from last night's episode of NXT. The winner of this ladder match gives the advantage to her War Games team. I don't think Io has ever been in a ladder match. But like everything else the WWE has put in front of her, she went our there and killed it. That was a fantastic match. They were both great. I'm not going to go into detail because you should watch the match. The key moment in this match was when Io hit a springboard dropkick into a ladder and Mia was busted open. Obviously that was an accident. These days the WWE stops matches for blood because the show is PG. They allowed this match to continue but they avoided closeups of Mia after that. Dakota Kai comes out to help Mia. But then NXT UK Women's Champion Kay Lee Ray helps Io win the match. She's the fifth member of Shayna Baszler's team. Shayna comes out to celebrate and Bayley attacks her from behind. Of course that's about the Survivor Series three way match with Bayley, Shayna and Becky Lynch. Earlier in the show, an unknown assailant attacked Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox and Candice LaRae. They tried to make it look like Bayley did it. But I think Dakota did it because she was snubbed for Rhea's War Games team. We'll see about that later. You certainly want to watch this match. It was really good. Enjoy the video!

Justine Kish vs Lucie Pudilova added to Jan. 25 UFC show

View this post on Instagram

‼️Fight News Update‼️ A little change up you guys 💥 Decided to make my comeback in my home state ... Raleigh, NC against Luci Pudilova on JAN 25th 💥👊🏼💥 @ufc @espn @espnmma @reebok ❤️ See you soon NORTH CAROLINA ❤️ . . . 💕🙏🏻 TY to my doctors, coaches, training facilities, sponsors, and the people who’ve immensely contributed one way or another to make this return possible for me: @cedarssinai @ufcpi @heatherlinden @b_oh_b @kyle.larimer @gcpfitness @sportrd_clint @alexa_eisenberg @paul.holmes_ @sinbimuaythai @boltwrestling @akathailand @coach_mariani @blackbeltcbd @cordell808 @hectorvasquezbjj @nuunhydration @gymotribe @edblackhouse @dr_duncan_french @josephcoyne @hughesandassociates @richufc @deanamasinger @orthocarolina @akathailand @jaychapman1974 @cobrinhabjjlv @cramermountainclub @vitaminshoppe_gastonia @thegastongazette @charlotteobserver @northcarolina @townofcramerton @belmont.nc 🙏🏻💕 . . . . @withrepost • @ufcnewsalerts Justine Kish vs. Lucie Pudilova added to UFC Raleigh, North Carolina (January 25th). FLW BOUT 📸: Zuffa/Getty Images #UFC #WMMA #MMA #UFCRaleigh #UFCNC #JustineKish #LuciePudilova #Fight #NorthCarolina #raleigh #HomeState

A post shared by Justine Kish (@justinekish) on Nov 14, 2019 at 12:44am PST

The UFC still hasn't announced the 2020 schedule yet. But they did confirm several fights for UFC on ESPN+ 24 Jan. 25 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. One of those fights is Justine Kish vs Lucie Pudilova. This fight will be at Flyweight. Justine is 31 years old. She was born in Russia but was adopted by a US family and grew up in North Carolina. She trains at Blackhouse in Los Angeles. Her record is 6-2 and 2-2 in the UFC. She was supposed to be on TUF 20 but she dropped out due to a knee injury. She has fought most of her career at Strawweight. But she moved back up to Flyweight when she lost by split decision to Ji Yeon Kim Jan. 2018. Of course she thought she won that fight but it was really close. She has been injured since then. And that's her story. She has had three injuries since she has been in the UFC. Lucie is 25 years old from the Czech Republic. her record is 8-5 and 2-3 in the UFC. She is on a three fight losing streak. She started out at Bantamweight. Her last two fights have been at Flyweight. Both of them are kickboxers so I expect a close kickboxing match possibly ending in a split decision. Neither fighter is a finisher. Normally one would think that Lucie needs a win. But the UFC needs European fighters for European shows. And she's still young. I just don't think she is very good.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Luther Vandross

Artist:Luther Vandross
Song:With a Christmas Heart
Album:The Classic Christmas Album





If you are looking for a Christmas CD, you may want to check out this Luther Vandross CD. Vandross had scored a big hit with his 1994 cover of Endless Love, a duet with Mariah Carey. The album This Is Christmas was released in 1995. Most Christmas albums are covers of Christmas standards. Six of the ten songs on this album are Vandross originals. Vandross wrote With A Christmas Heart with long time collaborator and keyboard player John "Skip" Anderson. He was a member of Lenny White's fusion group Twennynine. Vandross produced the album. The one guest on the album is Darlene Love. It was certified Platinum so it was a big seller especially for a Christmas album. This album is available as a budget CD. So normally I would recommend it. But Sony re-released it in 2012 as part of their Classic Christmas Album series. It is also available as a budget CD. It has the entire This Is Christmas album plus four bonus tracks. Two of the songs are from the 70s when Vandross recorded as Luther. There is a live duet with Chaka Khan of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. And Vandross' cover of The Christmas Song is from the 1992 charity album A Very Special Christmas 2. Here's Luther Vandross performing With A Christmas Heart on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 1995. I think Skip Anderson is on piano.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jason Crabb

Artist:Jason Crabb
Song:Love Is Stronger
Album:Through The Fire: The Best Of Jason Crabb





Jason Crabb started out in his family's gospel group. But today he's a very successful CCM artist including a couple of Grammys. He was born Mar. 3, 1977 in Beaver Dam. KY. He was a member of The Crabb Family from 1995 to 2007. Jason frequently sang lead. The other members were twin brothers Adam and Aaron and sisters Kelly and Terah. Their parents managed the group. After much success in the Southern Gospel market, they split up in 2007. Jason released his debut solo CD Jason Crabb in 2009. That album was very successful and Crabb won a Grammy for Best Southern/Country/Bluegrass Gospel Album. Since then he has gone in a more CCM direction. Love is Stronger is from his 2013 album Love Is Stronger produced by Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts. It won a Dove Award for Inspirational Album of the Year. This 2015 budget comp CD covers his early years. For the 2015 album Whatever The Road, Crabb signed with Reunion Records. His 2018 album Unexpected won a Grammy for Best Roots Gospel Album. Crabb has also been a soloist with The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and The Gaither Family. He is currently on tour. But after that I expect him and DeMarcus to return to the studio and record a new album. Here's the video for Love Is Stronger by Jason Crabb.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kabuki Warriors vs Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

Here's the match video of the Kabuki Warriors defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships vs Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch from last night's episode of RAW. The whole purpose of this match was to promote Becky's three way title match with Bayley and Shayna Baszler at Survivor Series. The show led off with a Becky Lynch promo. The show is in England so the fans loved it. But I didn't think it was anything special. I am including that video because it has the Kabuki Warriors entrance. And the good news is that Asuka and Kairi Sane are no longer wearing t-shirts. Kairi is wearing another new outfit. Asuka is still wearing he black gear from several years ago. They are probably working on new gear for her. It's a good match. One thing I liked was Asuka standing on the second rope while Kairi rams Becky's head into her ass. Shayna comes out and when it looks like Becky is getting the advantage, she gets up on the apron. Then Bayley comes out and attacks Shayna and that distracts Becky enough for Asuka to roll her up for the win. Afterwards Bayley attacks Becky. I wonder how much patience Charlotte will have for Becky's nonsense. Nothing has been announced but I expect Asuka and Kairi to be in the women's Survivor Series match. There is an NXT team in that match so I expect Io Shirai to be on that team. That could be interesting. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Zero 7

Artist:Zero 7 f/Mozez
Song:This World
Album:Simple Things: Special Edition





Zero 7 is an electronica duo who have had success mostly in their native England. Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker started out as recording engineers in the 90s working with Pet Shop Boys among others. In 1997 they remixed the Radiohead song Climbing Up The Walls and it did well enough that they decided to start producing their own music as Zero 7. After releasing a 1999 EP, they signed with Palm Pictures which was owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. This World is from their 2001 debut album Simple Things. Binns and Hardaker write and produce the songs. They bring in studio musicians and guest singers. The singer on This World is Osmond "Mozez" Wright. He has gone on to a solo career. Other guest singers are Sia Furler and Sophie Barker. Sia is a very successful solo artist. Simple Things was released in a 2CD special edition in 2019. Zero 7 has released four albums, most recently in 2009. But they are still around releasing occasional singles and all kinds of remixing and producing. Lately they have been releasing their back catalog in special editions. Here's Zero 7 featuring Mozez performing This World at the 2006 Coachella Festival.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Dundas

Artist:David Dundas
Song:Jeans On
Album:The Number One's: The '70s





The 1976 single Jeans on was a top 20 hit in the US and a top 5 hit in England. He had one other chart single in England but Lord David Dundas has had a long career in films and TV. I'm not kidding about the "Lord" part. He was born June 2, 1945 in Oxford, England. He is the son of Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Marquess of Zetland, known as The Earl of Ronaldshay. He was a professional tennis player. So by birth, his name is Lord David Dundas. He went to Harrow and the Central School of Speech and Drama. His parents bought him a house that he shared with future film director Bruce Robinson. Those years were the basis of Robinson's 1987 film Withnail & I. It's a pretty good film if you have never seen it. Dundas composed the score. Dundas started out as an actor mostly on TV. The best known thing he was in was the 1968 film Prudence and the Pill. His TV roles were very obscure. Then he got into writing jingles. And a jingle he wrote for Brutus Jeans became so popular that he hired veteran songwriter Roger Greenaway to turn it into Jeans On. At first it was released by the Air Studios owned label Air Records. When it became a hit in England, Air sold it to Chrysalis who released it internationally. Jeans On reached #3 on the British Singles chart and #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was an international hit and Dundas appeared on TV shows all over Europe. He had one other song chart in England. Dundas released two albums and he returned to writing jingles. You can get Jeans On on this various artists budget comp. Fatboy Slim sampled Jeans On on his 1998 song Sho Nuff. So it's a memorable song especially in England. And a one hit wonder. Here's the video for Jeans On by David Dundas.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Riho vs Emi Sakura

Here's the match video of Riho defending her AEW Women's Championship against Emi Sakura from last night's AEW PPV. AEW really pushed the teacher vs student storyline. Excalibur is trying really hard to put them over. The match is fine. It's probably a little long. To me it looked like Emi was killing time. She's just trying to stretch out the match. There's no question that Riho can sell offense. But her own offense is limited. How many diving footstomps will she do? And commentary doesn't do her any favors by repeatedly saying how tiny, cute and nice she is. They don't seem to know what to say. The crowd seems to like Riho so I expected her to win. I'd like to see her in a real heated program to see how she does. Emi and Riho have wrestled each other so many times that it looked like another day at Gatoh Move. And that was the number one problem with this match. It had no heat. It's a good match but it needed something to get it to a higher level. Enjoy the video!

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Nov. 10, 2019

UFC on ESPN+ 21 review and Hikaru Shida.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Midlake

Artist:Midlake
Song:Roscoe
Album:The Trials of Van Occupanther





Midlake is a 70s folk rock influenced band from Texas. This kind of music as categorized these days as Lo-Fi. They have had success touring mostly in Europe. Midlake are from Denton, TX. They formed in 1999 at the University of North Texas College of Music. They were all jazz students. The lineup was Tim Smith on vocals and guitars, McKenzie Smith on drums, Paul Alexander on bass, Eric Nichelson on guitar and Evan Jacobs on keyboards. They called themselves The Cornbread All Stars and they played Herbie Hancock influenced fusion. Tim Smith started writing songs influenced by Jethro Tull and other progressive rock groups. Jacobs left and Nichelson replaced him on keyboards. Guitarist Eric Pulido joined. A 2001 EP got them a record deal with the British label Bella Union owned by Simon Raymonde of The Cocteau Twins. Roscoe is from the 2006 album The trials of Van Occupanther. By this time Midlake's sound is probably closer to 70s classic rock than jazz. The Courage of Others was released in 2010. They started working on a new album and they were so unhappy with it that Tim Smith left and formed a new band Harp. Pulido took over as lead singer for the 2013 album Antiphon. They also added Jesse Chandler on keyboards and Joey McClellan on guitar. And they signed a US record deal with Dave Matthews' ATO label. Midlake went on hiatus after that. Pulido formed the supergroup BNQT with Fran Healy of Travis, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses and Jason Lytle of Grandaddy. They released an album in 2017 and toured. They are talking about recording a second album. Pulido released a solo album in 2019. Paul Alexander released a solo album in 2018. I saw on their Facebook page they posted some recording studio pics. It looks like Midlake is working on new music. Here's the video for Roscoe by Midlake.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Pannie Kianzad vs Jessica-Rose Clark

Here's the match video of Pannie Kianzad vs Jessica-Rose Clark from today's UFC show in Russia. This fight is at Bantamweight. As I said on yesterday's podcast, I thought Pannie would win this fight because she has a significant size advantage. Jessica moved up to Bantamweight because she had trouble cutting to Flyweight. But she's undersized at Bantamweight. I just don't think she can be competitive there. It's not like she's a great fighter anyway. This fight was mostly s kickboxing match. Pannie was more effective. She threw more and landed more. Jessica never got going. So I scored it 30-27 for Pannie and so did all three judges. I doubt that Pannie is any more than a midcard fighter. But a win is a win. I think Jessica should to Flyweight but hire a good nutritionist who can be sure she makes weight. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Big Swole

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Big Swole from this week's episode of AEW Dark. This was on Youtube yesterday. I thought it wasn't supposed to air until Tuesday. You may recall seeing Big Swole in last year's Mae Young Classic as Ariel Monroe. She has completely changed her look and taken the name Big Swole which is a bodybuilding term. I don't have a problem with her taking a ring name. But I don't think most folks are familiar with this term. She is married to WWE cruiserweight Cedric Alexander. She's obviously a good athlete. As a wrestler, she's OK but she lacks quickness. And this is particularly noticeable against someone as quick as Hikaru. Sometimes Big Swole looks like she's in quicksand. It's a decent match. Hikaru has to make adjustments because of Big Swole's lack of quickness. Typical of joshi wrestlers, Hikaru likes her matches to be competitive. But as with her match last week, I think a squash would have been more appropriate because they need to build Hikaru up. Hikaru wins with a knee strike. I guess AEW liked Big Swole as they signed her to a contract right after this match. Hikaru is not on this weekend's AEW PPV. She is in Japan appearing on a show for the theater company Makai. She will perform in one show a month for them. They have a Youtube channel if you want to check them out. Enjoy the video though I should warn you that the guy who posted it has added background music.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nolan Thomas

Artist:Nolan Thomas
Song:Yo' Little Brother
Album:Yo' Little Brother





Yo' Little Brother was a dance hit that crossed over to pop in 1984. It was the only big hit for Nolan Thomas. When you see him on the album cover and the video, he looks like a teen. He was born Marko Kalfa Aug. 24, 1966 in Jersey City, NJ. I assume he hung around dance clubs while he was in high school. He was discovered by producers Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa. They produced the 1983 monster hit Let The Music Play by Shannon. Obviously they are looking for lightning to strike twice. Yo' Little Brother was released as a single on Emergency Records. It did well enough in clubs that Atco's Mirage label picked it up for national distribution just like Let The Music Play. Yo' Little Brother did OK but not that well. It reached #57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #26 on the R&B Singles chart. The album was released in 1985. It's available on CD from the Montreal based disco nostalgia label UniDisc. Supposedly Thomas sang on the rest of the album but he didn't sing lead on Yo' Little Brother. Liggett and Barbosa recorded it with Elan Lanier. But they didn't think he was marketable. That's when they discovered Thomas. It's Lanier's only credit so I don't know if this is true or if Elan Lanier is his real name. Then there's the cheesy music video with kids imitating Billy Idol, Prince, Ric Ocasek, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper. This nonsense was hatched by Stu Sleppin and Bob Teeman who turned it into Vid Kids. Thomas toured with Vid Kids in the late 80s. After a couple of other singles charted, that was it for Nolan Thomas. Kalfa released a single under his real name in 1989. Then he got into fashion photography and he still does that. But for a brief time he was teen pop star Nolan Thomas. Here's the video for Yo' Little Brother by Nolan Thomas.