Here's the match video of Asuka vs Cameron from last night's episode of NXT. This is for Kana fans who don't have the WWE Network. This match is a challenge for Asuka because of Cameron's lack of pro wrestling experience. Can Asuka carry her to a good match? Remember when Cameron was in the Funkadactyls a couple of years ago, she never got the chance to train. So she has been training in Orlando for the last few months and this is her first match. Asuka comes out and the crowd goes nuts for her. Cameron gets some boos because the crowd knows she isn't a good wrestler. They also chant "Asuka's gonna kill you". When Cameron attempts a kick, Asuka grabs her leg and hits a flying armbar. When Cameron reaches the ropes for a break they show her with a terrified look on her face. But she gets the jump on Asuka and some brief offense including that ridiculous split leg drop. I hate that move. Asuka escapes a Dragon sleeper and it's all downhill from there for Cameron. Among other things, she mocks Cameron's mannerisms as she did with Dana Brooke. Cameron is outraged but the crowd loves this. She also hits a couple of her patented hip attacks. Rich Brennan even calls it a hip attack. Corey Graves mentions that the move is identical to Naomi's Rear View finisher. I have news for him and everyone else. Naomi watches a lot of joshi videos and she's a big Kana fan. That's where Naomi got the move. Kana does it a lot better though. Then Asuka hits three spinning back fists, a spinning head kick and a shining wizard. Then she finishes with the Asuka Lock. The match was better than I thought it would be mostly because Asuka emphasizes her own strengths and hides Cameron's weaknesses. And hopefully Cameron can train with Asuka and learn from someone with a high level of quickness and smoothness. Asuka has been tremendous so far. Enjoy the video!
Asuka vs Cameron by MrCena456
Thursday, November 05, 2015
Justine Kish vs Nina Ansaroff added to Jan. 2 UFC show
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| Justine Kish |
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan
Song:Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Album:Santa's Bag: An All Star Jazz Christmas
Here's a 1994 various artists CD that is perfect jazz for your Christmas listening. From what I can tell, this recording of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by jazz legends Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan was recorded specifically for this CD. Of course back in 1968, Gerry Mulligan joined the Brubeck band after Paul Desmond left. He was a regular in that band from 1968-72 and then he would alternate with Desmond as a guest soloist at concerts depending on their schedules. Brubeck and the original quartet featuring Desmond first recorded Santa Claus Is Coming To Town for the 1962 Columbia Records various artists album Jingle Bell Jazz. By the 90s, Brubeck was recording for Telarc Records and he was planning a Christmas CD. A Dave Brubeck Christmas was released in 1996. But that was a solo piano album. So this recording by Brubeck and Mulligan isn't on that CD. This version was recorded in 1994 and it appears to be a one shot reunion of these jazz greats. Artists appearing on Santa's Bag include Ray Brown, Mel Torme, George Shearing, Jimmy McGriff and Hank Crawford, Joe Williams, Kenny Barron, Bobby Short, Jim Hall, Hilton Ruiz and Louie Bellson. This CD is available at a deep discount price so I recommend it to those who want a Christmas Jazz CD. Here's a video of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan.
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
SHOOT BOXING queen RENA to make MMA debut on Dec. 31 RIZIN show
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| RENA at today's RIZIN press conference |
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-98 Degrees
Song:The Hardest Thing
Album:The Collection
The idea behind 98 Degrees is to make their sound more like groups like Boyz II Men than the more typical boy band sound of The Backstreet Boys and that would differentiate them from their competition. Though 98 Degrees had success with hits like The Hardest Thing, they weren't as successful because they sounded too much like their competition. Though 98 Degrees was formed in Los Angeles, their roots are in Ohio. In 1995, Jeff Timmons left Kent State University for Los Angeles to become a singer. Timmons is from Canton, OH. He was introduced to Nick Lachey who was from Cincinnati. They formed a group with Lachey's brother Drew Lachey and Nick's friend Justin Jeffre. Their big break came when they performed at a Boyz II Men radio broadcast and this led to a deal with Motown. The boy band sound was popular at the time but also derided as phony and superficial. 98 Degrees was sold as R & B influenced and that they wrote some of their own songs. Of course the problem was they didn't sound much different from other boy bands. So their 1997 debut CD 98 Degrees was a commercial disappointment because they didn't appeal to a more mature audience. When one of their songs appeared in the Disney film Mulan, that reached the target audience of young girls. So the 1998 album 98 Degrees and Rising was much more successful. It was certified 4XPlatinum. Because Of You and The Hardest Thing were both top five hits. The group wrote some of their own songs. The Hardest Thing was written by David Frank and Steve Kipner. Frank was leader of the 80s group The System. Kipner has been writing hits since the 70s including Olivia Newton-John's Physical. 98 Degrees' only number one hit was Thank God I Found You with Mariah Carey and Joe. That was on a Mariah Carey album. You can get it on this comp. After the 2000 CD Revelation, 98 Degrees went on hiatus. Nick Lachey married Jessica Simpson and became a reality show staple. Drew appeared on Dancing With The Stars. Jeffre unsuccessfully ran for the mayor of Cincinnati. They reunited and released a new album in 2013 and they toured with Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block. They don't appear to be active right now. So though 98 Degrees attempted to market themselves differently, they were successful when they were sold to the typical boy band audience. Here's the video for The Hardest Thing by 98 Degrees.
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Tea Party
Song:Release
Album:Tangents: The Tea Party Collection
No, The Tea Party is not a band extolling the virtues of the US conservative political movement. They are an alternative rock band who had success in the mid-90s in their native Canada. They were unable to break through in the US. The Tea Party are from Windsor, ON. Lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Martin, bass and keyboard player Stuart Chatwood and drummer Jeff Burrows went to high school together. They all played in bands as teens and formed The Tea Party after moving to Toronto in 1990. They released an album independently in 1991 and this led to them signing with EMI Canada and Chrysalis in the US. Martin not only wrote all the band's songs but he produced their albums. Normally a record company would insist that a new band work with an veteran producer. But The Tea Party were always self produced. Martin also incorporated Eastern music elements like the sitar into the band's music. Release is from their 1997 album Transmission which was their first album with new US record company Atlantic. Release was a charity single to benefit The White Ribbon Campaign. The song is an apology to women for how they have been treated. I noticed that part of the video was shot in an abandoned Toronto subway station. As I said, they did well in Canada and also in Australia. But they were unable to break the US market. This comp was released in 2000 and covers The Tea Party's 90s music. After the 2004 album Seven Circles, Martin quit The Tea Party to go solo. Chatwood and Burrows decided to end the band. Martin moved to Ireland and recorded a couple of solo albums. Chatwood works on a lot of video game soundtracks. The Tea Party reformed in 2011 to tour. They announced that they were going to record new music in Australia. The album The Ocean at the End was released last year on Rush's label Anthem. The Tea Party are currently touring Australia. Here's the video for Release by The Tea Party.
Monday, November 02, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eagles
Song:Please Come Home For Christmas
Album:Christmas Of Hope
This Christmas record has become a perennial in recent years. It turns up on the annual Christmas charts as a frequent download. Of course Eagles was one of the most popular bands of the 70s. And Please Come Home For Christmas was a top 20 hit in 1978. It was released while the band was working on their 1979 album The Long Run but it was only released as a single. Please Come Home For Christmas was written and recorded by legendary R & B singer Charles Brown in 1960. It's not even Brown's best known Christmas song as he wrote Merry Christmas Baby. The record charted in 1960 and then appeared on the annual seasonal charts. The Eagles recording of Please Come Home For Christmas reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. It was the first top 20 Christmas song since Roy Orbison's Pretty Paper in 1963. It was re-released as a CD single in 1995 and did well on the Adult Contemporary chart. And it continues to be very popular on the seasonal charts. Please Come Home For Christmas appears on Rhino's 2003 2CD comp The Complete Greatest Hits. But I suggest you get it on this various artists Christmas CD released by Columbia in 1995. Other artists on the CD are Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, U2, Wynton Marsalis, John Mellencamp, James Brown, Elton John, Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin and Reba McEntire. It appears on a couple of other CDs but I like this one for your Christmas listening. Please Come Home For Christmas has been covered by plenty of artists including Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Martina McBride and Kelly Clarkson. I'm partial to Brown's original version but the Eagles version is pretty good. Here's a video for Please Come Home For Christmas by Eagles.
Sunday, November 01, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Queen
Song:Another One Bites The Dust
Album:Greatest Hits
Though Another One Bites The Dust topped the charts in 1980 and it was Queen's biggest hit, it also signaled a more mainstream direction from their progressive rock roots and led to their mid-80s decline. In 1968, guitarist Brian May was a student at Imperial College in London. He wanted to form a band with former schoolmate Tim Staffell who was a student at Ealing College. They auditioned drummers and hired Roger Taylor and Smile was formed. Smile recorded a few singles for Mercury Records that went nowhere. After Staffell left Smile to join the band Humpy Bong, he introduced fellow Ealing student Farrokh Bulsara to May. Bulsara became Freddie Mercury. He came up with the name Queen. After trying out a few bassists, they settled on John Deacon in early 1971. This was the band until Mercury's 1991 death. In 1972, Queen signed with Trident Studios who had started a record label distributed by EMI in England. They signed with Elektra Records in the US. Queen's sound was influenced by progressive rock but Mercury's stage presence was influenced by glam rock. Their first two albums did OK especially in England. But the 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack and the single Killer Queen broke Queen internationally. This was followed by the 1975 album A Night At The Opera and Bohemian Rhapsody which was their first top ten hit in the US. It would have topped the charts if it was shorter as some radio stations refused to play it because of the six minute length. Their next top ten hit was We Are the Champions and We Will Rock You in 1977 which was a double sided hit. Just as Queen seemed to be fading as the 1978 album Jazz was not well received, they roared back with the 1980 album The Game. This was their first album with producer Reinhold Mack who had worked with ELO. He influenced a more mainstream sound. Crazy Little Thing Called Love was their first US number one hit. Another One Bites The Dust was even bigger as it crossed over to the dance charts. No less than Michael Jackson told Mercury that it would be their biggest hit. And though most of Queen's songs were written by either Mercury or May, Another One Bites the Dust was written by Deacon. Though they were successful at the time, abandoning their progressive rock sound for mainstream pop probably hurt Queen in the long run as they started to fade in the nid-80s. Also, Mercury was sick from AIDS and he got worse until his 1991 death. You can get all of Queen's hits on this budget comp. After Mercury's death, Queen continued with guest vocalists until former Bad Company lead singer Paul Rodgers was hired in 2004. Their current lead singer is former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert but I don't think Queen is touring right now. May and Taylor are working on a Queen biopic which is currently being written by Oscar nominee Peter Morgan. Here's the video for Another One Bites The Dust by Queen.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dave Van Ronk
Song:St. James Infirmary (Gambler's Blues)
Album:Down In Washington Square: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection
Though he never had commercial success, Dave Van Ronk was an important figure in the Greenwich Village folk music scene of the early 60s. Bob Dylan was one of Van Ronk's disciples. He was born June 30, 1936 in Brooklyn, NY. He started out in the 50s playing traditional jazz. But then he got into the blues by listening to records by Furry Lewis and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He recorded his debut album Van Ronk Sings Ballads, Blues and a Spiritual for Folkways Records in 1959. St. James Infirmary or as it's called here Gambler's Blues is on that album. St. James Infirmary is a traditional song that dates back to 18th century England. An adaptation was made famous by Louis Armstrong in 1928 and then in the 1933 Betty Boop cartoon Snow White by Cab Calloway. At the same time, it was recorded as Gambler's Blues by Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra. There are other versions of St. James Infirmary with different titles but Gambler's Blues is the best known. The song was part of Van Ronk's live shows for his entire career. When artists like Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs came to Greenwich Village in the early 60s, Van Ronk helped them get gigs. Van Ronk never became famous because he rarely strayed from acoustic folk music. He tried to form a folk rock group in the mid-60s but he didn't like it and he went back to performing solo. And he didn't drive and he hated flying so touring was a problem. This 2013 3CD box set from Smithsonian Folkways covers Van Ronk's entire career. It has Van Ronk's original recording of Gambler's Blues plus a live version from 1997. This box set was released around the time the film Inside Llewyn Davis renewed interest in the early 60s folk music scene. Van Ronk was writing his memoir when he died on Feb. 10, 2002 at age 65. That book, The Mayor of MacDougal Street, was published in 2005. Here's Dave Van Ronk performing St. James Infirmary at Barns at Wolf Trap 1997. That entire concert is included in this box set.
Friday, October 30, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fergie
Song:Big Girls Don't Cry
Album:The Dutchess
Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson started out as child performer and struggled as an adult before becoming famous with The Black Eyed Peas. The 2006 CD The Dutchess is her only solo CD to date. But it was a huge seller and Big Girls Don't Cry was the biggest of the five hits from the album. She is currently working on her second album. She was born Mar. 27, 1975 in Hacienda Heights, CA. As a child, she was a regular on the show Kids Incorporated and she did voiceovers in Peanuts cartoons. After she left Kids Incorporated, she formed the female trio Wild Orchid with Stephanie Ridel and Kids Incorporated castmate Renee Sandstrom. Wild Orchid recorded three unsuccessful albums for RCA. Stacy left the group in 2001. She admits to having drug abuse problems while in Wild Orchid. She replaced Kim Hill in The Black Eyed Peas and that turned out very well and made her famous. Of course it was inevitable she would record solo. Most of The Dutchess was recorded while The Black Eyed Peas were on tour in 2005 in John Lennon's studio bus. will.i.am produced the album. Fergie co-wrote all the songs. There were five hit singles from the album. Big Girls Don't Cry was the biggest of those hits. Fergie wrote the song with producer Toby Gad. The guy in the video is actor Milo Ventimiglia from the TV series Heroes. The Dutchess was a huge success. It sold almost 4 million copies. While Fergie continues to work with The Black Eyed Peas, there has been talk of a second solo album since 2012. The single L.A. Love (La La) was released Sept. 2014 but there has been no release date set yet. I guess she's busy with The Black Eyed Peas and with her marriage to actor Josh Duhamel. They had a son in 2013. Normally I would think there has too long of a gap between albums. And The Black Eyed Peas have been on hiatus since 2011 and are also working on new music. So maybe fans have forgotten about Fergie. Here's the video for Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-John Lee Hooker
Song:Blues For Christmas
Album Blue Yule
Around this time of year, music fans start asking me about Christmas CDs. So I always like to feature a couple of jazz or blues Christmas CDs that are reasonably priced and are worth getting. Blue Yule is a various artists CD released by Rhino in 1991. I bet you didn't even know John Lee Hooker recorded a Christmas song. Of course he was a blues legend best known for his hits of the 60s like Boom Boom. Hooker wrote and recorded Blues For Christmas in 1954 at a time when he recorded for so many different labels and so many phony names it would make your head spin. He was under contract to Modern Records but it didn't stop him from recording for Chess as The Boogie Man, King as Texas Slim, Savoy as Birmingham Sam and as Johnny Lee for DeLuxe. He even recorded as John Lee Cooker. I guess he would record for whoever paid him and figure out the details later. Blues For Christmas was recorded at a recording session for the Detroit label Fortune Records. But Blues For Christmas was released as a single on Elmor Records and re-released on Chess. The song turns up on some of Hooker's Chess comps. Musicians are Jimmy Miller on trumpet, Johnny Hooks on tenor sax, Bob Thurman on piano and Tom Whitehead on drums. Hooker settled down and stopped recording under phony names after he signed with VeeJay in 1955. Canned Heat, Roy Milton, Charles Brown, Louis Jordan and Sonny Boy Williamson II are among the artists who appear on Blue Yule. Blues fans should check it out. Here's a video for Blues For Christmas by John Lee Hooker.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Rose Namajunas in for injured Joanne Calderwood on Dec. 10 UFC show
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brotherhood Of Man
Song:United We Stand
Album:Golden Classics
The 1970 single United We Stand was the only big US hit for Brotherhood Of Man. But they have been more successful in their native England and a second version of the group still performs today. The group was formed in 1969 by songwriter and producer Tony Hiller using session singers. Hiller wrote United We Stand with John Goodison. Goodison was a member of Brotherhood Of Man along with Tony Burrows, Roger Greenaway, Sue Glover and Sunny Leslie. Burrows was the man behind groups like Edison Lighthouse and White Plains. Greenaway usually wrote songs with partner Roger Cook. Sue and Sunny were sisters Yvonne and Heather Wheatman. They were mainly backup singers who recorded as a duo occasionally. They signed with Deram Records and United We Stand was the second single. Sue and Burrows sang the leads. The record was a hit in England and then crossed the pond and reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been frequently used as a patriotic anthem. They had one other chart hit, Where Are You Going To My Love, and the original group only recorded one album. Goodison and Greenaway left in 1971 and Hiller dissolved the rest of them in 1972. Then he formed a new version of Brotherhood Of Man with Martin Lee and Lee Sheriden who worked as songwriters for Hiller and singer Nicky Stevens. Sandra Stevens was added in 1973. They signed with Pye Records and scored a number one hit in England with Save Your Kisses For Me in 1976, Angelo in 1977 and Figaro in 1978. You can get the hits from both versions of the group on this budget comp. Brotherhood Of Man split up in 1983 but they reformed in 1990 and they still perform in England today. Here's Brotherhood Of Man performing United We Stand on Top Of The Pops 1970.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stephen Stills
Song:Love The One You're With
Album:Stephen Stills
Of course Stephen Stills is best known as part of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash. But he also scored a major solo hit with Love The One You're With in 1970. He was born Jan. 3, 1945 in Dallas but his dad was in the military so they moved a lot. He dropped out of college in the early 60s and he was in several bands. He was in The Au Go Go Singers who were the house act at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York. They recorded one album but this is where Stills met Richie Furay. The group split up and Stills and Furay formed The Company. When the group was on tour in Canada, they met Neil Young. Eventually, they all moved to Los Angeles and formed Buffalo Springfield. Stills wrote their big hit For What It's Worth. But the band wasn't around very long as they couldn't get along. After Stills played on Super Session with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield, he met David Crosby who had just left The Byrds and Graham Nash who had just left The Hollies. And they became Crosby, Stills and Nash and then Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. All four recorded solo with Young being the most successful. But Stills scored a top 20 with Love The One You're With from his 1970 solo debut Stephen Stills. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. But what it really did was boost sales of the album as it was certified Gold. The idea for the song came from a remark Billy Preston made that Stills heard at a party. The album is available as a budget CD. Stills recorded two solo albums for Atlantic and two albums with Manassas, the band he formed with Chris Hillman. After the 1974 CSNY reunion tour, Stills moved to Columbia Records. An attempt at a CSNY album turned into The Stills-Young Band. Stills' Columbia albums weren't as successful as his Atlantic albums and he returned to Atlantic in 1984. CSN have reunited several times over the years. Stills doesn't record solo very often. His most recent solo CD was released in 2007. But he still tours sometimes with his band The Rides. Here's Stephen Stills performing Love The One You're With from the 2008 DVD Live at Shepherd's Bush. I noticed that Stills can't seem to recreate the energy of the studio recording live.
Monday, October 26, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Subdudes
Song:All The Time In The World
Album:Primitive Streak
The Subdudes were a mix of several musical styles similar to Little Feat. And like Little Feat, commercial success was always going to be an uphill battle for The Subdudes. Though they never broke through in a big way, The Subdudes had a loyal fanbase in the 90s. The formation of The Subdudes came out of the New Orleans club scene. After backing up touring artists at the New Orleans club Tipitinas, lead singer and guitarist Tommy Malone, pianist John Magnie, bassist Johnny Ray Allen and percussionist Steve Amedee formed the band in 1987. Positive buzz got them a record deal with the Warner Music label East West Records. At the time, Sylvia Rhone was running the label and she was signing all kinds of acts. The Subdudes released two albums on East West. The reviews were positive and they were a strong live act. But their diverse sound probably hurt them commercially. So The Subdudes left East West for the Windham Hill owned label High Street where there would be less pressure on them to generate record sales. They recorded two albums for High Street followed by a live CD. All The Time In The World is from the 1996 CD Primitive Streak. it is available as a budget CD and it features a guest appearance by Bonnie Raitt. Then Allen left The Subdudes and the band went on hiatus. Also, High Street closed in 1997. They returned in 2002 with new members Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa and a record deal with the EMI owned label Back Porch. They recorded three albums there and their most recent CD Flower Petals was released in 2009 on 429 Records. After the original lineup reunited in Mar. 2014, Johnny Ray Allen died in May 2014. The Subdudes are currently on tour. Fans of bands like Little Feat should check them out. Here are The Subdudes with guests Bill Payne and Paul Barrere of Little Feat performing All The Time In The World at the Wolftrap in Vienna, VA June 25, 2007.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Aisling Daly vs Ericka Almeida
Here's the match video of Aisling Daly vs Ericka Almeida from yesterday's UFC show in Dublin, Ireland. This aired on UFC Fight Pass and I watched it on my HD TV using Roku. Of course the big deal here is Aisling is fighting in front of her home town fans. The crowd in the arena was bonkers especially when one of their own is fighting. Aisling lost her last fight against Randa Markos. Her main flaw is she has no ground game and that really hurt her against Randa. Ericka lost her UFC debut to Julianna Lima. She came in on short notice and the weight cut really affected her. Ericka is a submission specialist but Aisling is bigger and her size could offset Ericka's ground skills. Aisling ended up doing a lot of stalling in this fight. The ref should have stopped it but he didn't. Round one was fairly even until Aisling got a takedown with a minute left in the round. Aisling spent most of the round stalling against the fence. This went on for over two minutes. She didn't advance her position and the ref never even warned her. I scored the round 10-9 for Aisling but the ref didn't do his job. If he shows early in the fight that he won't tolerate stalling, the fighter will stop doing it. He's sending the opposite message. Aisling gets a takedown in round two but just lays on her. She does attempt some ground and pound which is mostly blocked. Finally Ericka reverses and almost gets a rear naked choke. But I gave Ericka round two 10-9. Again in round three, Aisling stalls for most of the round. She tries one of those useless headlock takedowns and almost gave up her back. Instead Ericka winds up on her back and Aisling stands over her punching her ankles. She never advanced her position and the ref should have stood them up. But he didn't. So I scored round three 10-9 for Aisling and I scored the fight 29-28 in her favour. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-27 (?) and 29-28 for Aisling. I don't think the ref did his job and that really affected this fight. He needs to prevent the stalling and he didn't do that. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kiss
Song:Rock and Roll All Nite
Album:The Very Best Of Kiss
Rock and Roll All Nite was the breakthrough hit for Kiss. Their music was standard hard rock. But what made them was glam rock costumes and makeup and stage antics. Sometimes it's difficult to capture a band's stage appeal on record and that was true of Kiss until the 1975 album Alive!. Kiss were from New York City. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were in the band Wicked Lester. They recorded an album for Epic Records that was never released. They played a few live shows but Simmons and Stanley thought the band needed to be more flamboyant. They found drummer Peter Criss through an ad he had placed in Rolling Stone and guitarist Ace Frehley came through auditions. They were going to keep the name Wicked Lester. But after a failed audition for Epic, the name Kiss was because Criss once was in a band called Lips. They sent a demo to producer Eddie Kramer and he got them a deal with Neil Bogart's new Casablanca label. Bogart had previously been with Buddah Records. Kiss went on the road with the glam look and comic book characters. They were popular live but record sales for their first three albums were disappointing. Bogart was having financial problems and Casablanca was close to closing. He decided the only way to capture Kiss was to release a live album. Alive! was recorded in various places and crowd noise was added to enhance the band's live experience. There was probably more studio dubbing on the album. This was common on live albums from the 70s. But it was successful as Rock and Roll All Nite was Kiss's first big hit. Alive! was certified Gold. Their next album Destroyer was certified 2XPlatinum and Beth was their first top ten hit. The success has continued ever since. Rock and Roll All Nite first appeared on the 1975 album Dressed To Kill. But the hit version was from Alive! and that's the version on this budget comp. Attempts by Kiss to change their music or remove the stage makeup have been unsuccessful. It seems fans only want to see the Kiss from the 70s. Simmons and Stanley still lead Kiss today. Here's the video for Rock and Roll All Nite by Kiss.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Billie Kay
Here's the match video of Asuka's match on this week's episode of NXT for those of you who don't get the WWE Network. Asuka's opponent is Aussie wrestler Billie Kay. She is former SHIMMER wrestler Jessie McKay and she and her high school pal Cassie McIntosh were hired by the WWE last spring. They are calling Cassie Peyton Royce. After doing anonymous jobs over the summer, both have been given new names and characters. This was Billie's first match as a heel. While coming to the ring, Billie cuts a promo in an inset. She says she has been in the ring with Asuka before. That's true. They worked together in SHIMMER. Then she says she has the longest legs in NXT. They should fire whoever told her to say that. Dusty would have never had her say that. Asuka offers to shake Billie's hand. Billie gets the jump on her and controls her for a minute including a pretty good vertical suplex. From her back, Asuka kicks Billie in the jaw and then kicks her a couple more times. Billie lands an elbow smash to Asuka's jaw. Asuka smiles at her. I guess this is a part of her regular shtick. Then Asuka hits her flying armbar followed by a German suplex and a shining wizard. Then she finishes her with the Asuka lock. Asuka is very over with the crowd and she is really good at playing to them. In two weeks, she will face Cameron. It will be a real test for Asuka to make that greenhorn look halfway decent. Enjoy the video!
Asuka vs. Billie Kay by therackattackvideos
Asuka vs. Billie Kay by therackattackvideos
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eileen
Song:Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher
Album:Best Of Pop a Paris: Psyche-Rock et Minijupes
Fans of the TV series Gossip Girl have probably heard this French version of Nancy Sinatra's smash hit These Boots Are Made For Walkin' and wondered what the heck it is. Eileen not only recorded the song in French but in German and Italian. Fans of the TV series Orphan Black have heard the German version. And the funniest part of this is Eileen is American. Eileen Goldsen was born May 16, 1941 in New York City. Her father was music publisher Micky Goldsen. After studying french at UCLA, she took a job as a teacher and moved to Paris in 1963. She got into music when she was asked to translate English folk songs to French. She told Disc'AZ that she wanted to record the songs and they tried her out. She released a couple of EPs. The second EP included French versions of two Lee Hazlewood songs. When the Hazlewood song These Boots Are Made For Walkin' became a big hit for Nancy Sinatra, AZ's distributor Vogue Records wanted a German version. It was not unusual for European record companies to record foreign language versions of big US hits. Eileen was suggested and she recorded French, German and Italian versions of These Boots Are Made For Walkin'. Vogue had to get permission to use the song from the US publisher who turned out to be Eileen's dad. The German version was recorded first and it did well in England but the other versions did well too. There is also a version by the Quebecois singer Muguette which was a hit there. You can get Eileen's French version on this 2CD comp from Universal France. Eileen didn't want to be known as a Nancy Sinatra tribute act so she went back to recording folk songs. She also recorded with Mickey Baker including a remake of the Mickey and Sylvia hit Love Is Strange. By the late 60s, Eileen's music career was over and later she got into music publishing just like her dad. Here's a video for Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher by Eileen. Thanks to Ready Steady Girls for the Eileen bio.
Friday, October 23, 2015
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stan Getz
Song:Captain Marvel
Album:Captain Marvel
One of the reasons tenor sax legend Stan Getz had such a long career was his willingness to adapt to changing musical trends. Of course the most notable example of this was when he had great success playing Brazilian music in the 60s. So it's not surprising that when Jazz Fusion became popular in the late 60s, he wanted to work with those musicians. Getz first worked with pianist Chick Corea on the 1967 album Sweet Rain. At the time, Corea had just recorded his debut album Tones For Joan's Bones though Atlantic records didn't release it until 1968. Corea was working for Herbie Mann at the time. Sweet Rain was straight ahead jazz with Corea, Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate on drums. While Getz continued to record for Verve, Miles Davis released Bitches Brew and Jazz Fusion was the next big movement in jazz. Corea played on that album and he also started his own band Return To Forever. When Getz left Verve for Columbia in 1971, he wanted to make a big splash with his Columbia debut. So he asked Corea to put together a band and they recorded the album Captain Marvel. The other musicians were Stanley Clarke on bass from Return To Forever, Tony Williams on drums and Airto Moreira on percussion. Both guys played on Bitches Brew. The album was a huge success especially after the band minus Moreira played the 1972 Montreux Jazz Festival. That concert is available on DVD. Corea wrote most of the songs on the album. Captain Marvel was a song that Corea recorded on the Return To Forever album Light as a Feather. It doesn't look like Getz and Corea ever worked together again. Getz recorded for Columbia until he moved to Concord in 1981. He recorded straight jazz with pianist Jimmy Rowles and then pianist Joanne Brackeen. Then he tried to revisit Jazz Fusion with former Woody Herman pianist Andy Laverne. Captain Marvel was the high point of his Columbia recordings and it is available as a budget CD. Here's Stan Getz with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Tony Williams performing Captain Marvel at the 1972 Montreux Jazz Festival.
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