Welcome to Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog. A lot of folks have been asking me to update them about my recovery. So I thought I would start a blog primarily to do that but also to talk about other topics of interest including the wrestling business and whatever else I can think of. I plan to update this on a regular basis so check back and leave a comment if you wish.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Roxanne Modafferi vs Maycee Barber
Here's the match video of Roxanne Modafferi vs Maycee Barber from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. I watched round one of this fight again to see if I could tell when Maycee hurt her knee. You'll notice that she grabs her left knee right after the takedown. The rest of the round was on the ground so it wasn't detected. But at the start of round two, Roxanne dropped Maycee with a punch. But her left knee actually buckled. The punch was nothing. So Maycee knew she was hurt. And more importantly, so did her coach Duke Roufus. Between round two and three, ref Jason Herzog brought a doctor in to examine Maycee. Of course it should have been stopped then. It's part of the doctor's job and the coach's job to protect fighters from themselves. They both failed. There was no good reason for Maycee to continue. My guess is Maycee will need surgery. We probably won't see her for a while. It's too bad because she has potential. The only interesting thing is anyone who bet on Roxy made a lot of money because she was a heavy underdog. But that's the fight game. Shit happens. I just think the fight should have been stopped. Check out the video for yourself.
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington
Here's the match video of Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. I said on my preview of this fight that I would like to see both fighters retire. I still think that. This was the co-main event because of Holly's popularity. And fans are cheering as she comes to the cage. But they're booing by the end because the fight was terrible. Holly is a counterpuncher. She's never been an aggressive fighter as her offense is a reaction to her opponent's offense. Raquel hasn't been the same since that ATV crash a couple of years ago. She's not very good anymore. So most of this fight has Holly controlling the clinch on the fence. It's boring so fans start booing. And despite Joe Rogan's yammering that he doesn't want refs breaking up fights, there are times when it's necessary because Holly will continue this if the ref allows it. And that's why ref Jason Herzog needed to break it up just to get Holly to knock it off. Refs have warned her in the past. I think she would have won anyway because Raquel had nothing for her. After Holly won by unanimous decision, she apologized for her lack of aggression. She says she still wants a title. But I don't think this performance is good enough to get her a title shot. Like I said, the fight isn't very good but check out the video for yourself.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Keith Green
Artist:Keith Green
Song:You Put This Love In My Heart
Album:The Greatest Hits
Keith Green was a pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) who sadly died in a 1982 plane crash. You Put This Love In My Heart is one of his better known songs. He was born Oct. 21, 1953 in Sheepshead Bay, NY but he grew up in Los Angeles. Green was eight years old when he appeared in a local production of the play The Time of the Cuckoo. The Los Angeles Times gave him a rave review. In 1965, Green and his dad signed with Decca Records and released three singles produced by surf music producer Gary Usher. Green appeared on The Jack Benny Program, The Steve Allen Show and I've Got A Secret. Green wrote some of his own songs. But Decca's attempt to turn Green into a teen idol failed. He ran away from home and started smoking weed. He met his future wife Melody Steiner and she helped him convert to Christianity. They started writing songs together at CBS Records and they started Last Days Ministries. After Green's songs were recorded by Phil Keaggy and 2nd Chapter of Acts, he signed with Sparrow Records. Green's 1977 album For Him Who Has Ears To Hear was produced by CCM pioneer Bill Maxwell. You Put This Love In My Heart was the first single. Green left Sparrow after two albums and he sold the 1980 album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt by mail order. It sold 200,000 copies because Bob Dylan played harmonica on the record. After two more albums, Green and two of his children died in a plane crash on July 28, 1982. Green was 28. They were doing an aerial tour of the ministry and there were too many people on the plane. Melody Green still runs the ministry and she has released several posthumous albums. This comp CD is a good intro to Green's music. You can watch the 2013 doc The Keith Green Story on Youtube. Melody Green has been trying to develop a Keith Green biopic since 2010. It does not seem to be an active project right now. Here's Keith Green performing You Put This Love In My Heart 1977. Excuse the amateur video production techniques.
Song:You Put This Love In My Heart
Album:The Greatest Hits
Keith Green was a pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) who sadly died in a 1982 plane crash. You Put This Love In My Heart is one of his better known songs. He was born Oct. 21, 1953 in Sheepshead Bay, NY but he grew up in Los Angeles. Green was eight years old when he appeared in a local production of the play The Time of the Cuckoo. The Los Angeles Times gave him a rave review. In 1965, Green and his dad signed with Decca Records and released three singles produced by surf music producer Gary Usher. Green appeared on The Jack Benny Program, The Steve Allen Show and I've Got A Secret. Green wrote some of his own songs. But Decca's attempt to turn Green into a teen idol failed. He ran away from home and started smoking weed. He met his future wife Melody Steiner and she helped him convert to Christianity. They started writing songs together at CBS Records and they started Last Days Ministries. After Green's songs were recorded by Phil Keaggy and 2nd Chapter of Acts, he signed with Sparrow Records. Green's 1977 album For Him Who Has Ears To Hear was produced by CCM pioneer Bill Maxwell. You Put This Love In My Heart was the first single. Green left Sparrow after two albums and he sold the 1980 album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt by mail order. It sold 200,000 copies because Bob Dylan played harmonica on the record. After two more albums, Green and two of his children died in a plane crash on July 28, 1982. Green was 28. They were doing an aerial tour of the ministry and there were too many people on the plane. Melody Green still runs the ministry and she has released several posthumous albums. This comp CD is a good intro to Green's music. You can watch the 2013 doc The Keith Green Story on Youtube. Melody Green has been trying to develop a Keith Green biopic since 2010. It does not seem to be an active project right now. Here's Keith Green performing You Put This Love In My Heart 1977. Excuse the amateur video production techniques.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Living End
Artist:The Living End
Song:Who's Gonna Save Us?
Album:Modern Artillery
The Living End has been successful in their native Australia since the late 90s. Who's Gonna Save Us? is their best known song in North America and they have toured successfully. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Chris Cheney and bassist Scott Owen were primary school classmates in Melbourne, Australia. They started performing together as The Runaway Boys in 1991 while still in high school. The Stray Cats were their main influence which is why Owen plays a double bass. They started out as a rockabilly cover band. When Cheney started writing in 1994, the group name was changed to The Living End. That's a reference to the 1956 film Rock Around The Clock. Then drummer Joe Piripitzi was added to the band. A demo got them an opening slot on Green Day's 1995 Australian tour. They released a couple of EPs and the 1997 single Second Solution was certified 2XPlatinum in Australia. Piripitzi was replaced by Travis Demsey. For the 1998 album The Living End, they signed with Modular in Australia and Reprise in the rest of the world. They toured the US and appeared on Conan O'Brien and David Letterman to promote the 2000 album Roll On. They moved to EMI in Australia. Demsey left as he hated touring and Andy Strachan replaced him. They played some gigs as The Longnecks to test material for the 2004 album Modern Artillery. That album was produced by Blink-182 producer Mark Trombino. That was their most successful album to date. Not only was it a big hit in Australia but it did well on the Modern Rock chart in the US. This Japanese edition of Modern Artillery was released with bonus tracks. The Living End hasn't been as successful since then. They have switched labels a couple of times. Their 2018 album Wunderbar was released on Rise Records distributed by BMG. They tour mostly in Australia. Here's the video for Who's Gonna Save Us? by The Living End.
Song:Who's Gonna Save Us?
Album:Modern Artillery
The Living End has been successful in their native Australia since the late 90s. Who's Gonna Save Us? is their best known song in North America and they have toured successfully. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Chris Cheney and bassist Scott Owen were primary school classmates in Melbourne, Australia. They started performing together as The Runaway Boys in 1991 while still in high school. The Stray Cats were their main influence which is why Owen plays a double bass. They started out as a rockabilly cover band. When Cheney started writing in 1994, the group name was changed to The Living End. That's a reference to the 1956 film Rock Around The Clock. Then drummer Joe Piripitzi was added to the band. A demo got them an opening slot on Green Day's 1995 Australian tour. They released a couple of EPs and the 1997 single Second Solution was certified 2XPlatinum in Australia. Piripitzi was replaced by Travis Demsey. For the 1998 album The Living End, they signed with Modular in Australia and Reprise in the rest of the world. They toured the US and appeared on Conan O'Brien and David Letterman to promote the 2000 album Roll On. They moved to EMI in Australia. Demsey left as he hated touring and Andy Strachan replaced him. They played some gigs as The Longnecks to test material for the 2004 album Modern Artillery. That album was produced by Blink-182 producer Mark Trombino. That was their most successful album to date. Not only was it a big hit in Australia but it did well on the Modern Rock chart in the US. This Japanese edition of Modern Artillery was released with bonus tracks. The Living End hasn't been as successful since then. They have switched labels a couple of times. Their 2018 album Wunderbar was released on Rise Records distributed by BMG. They tour mostly in Australia. Here's the video for Who's Gonna Save Us? by The Living End.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Jan. 17, 2020
Io Shirai, Hikaru Shida, UFC 246 preview and new fight announcement.
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kris Statlander And Hikaru Shida vs Brandi Rhodes and Mel
Here's the match video of Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida vs Brandi Rhodes and Mel from this week's episode of AEW Dynamite. Awesome Kong was supposed to be in this match. As I said when AK was first brought in to AEW, her back is so bad I don't know if she can wrestle anymore. For that reason, it is ill advised to make her a major part of any angle. Fan concerns about Brandi becoming a major part of the AEW women's division are because she can't wrestle. She has trained but she isn't any good. And that's why the crowd is dead during this match. No one wants to see Brandi wrestle. Melanie Cruise hasn't been given a personality. Fans won't care about her until she gets one. So that's the setup and this match is fifteen minutes long. Hikaru and Kris try hard to elevate this match. But it's too much to expect them to do that much when their opponents are this bad. And that's been the problem with the AEW women's division. The booking has been awful. There doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Check out the match video for yourself.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Damn Yankees
Artist:Damn Yankees
Song:High Enough
Album:The Essentials
The shortlived supergroup Damn Yankees scored a top five hit in 1990 with High Enough. They only released two albums so it's weird that Warner Bros. has released a comp CD. It's also odd to see guitar legend Ted Nugent in a pedestrian hard rock group. But in 1988, Nugent hadn't had a hit in a decade. Tommy Shaw had left Styx and his solo career wasn't going anywhere. Bassist Jack Blades had just left Night Ranger and he hadn't decided what he wanted to do. Geffen Records A&R exec John Kalodner had dinner with Shaw and Blades and he knew Nugent wasn't doing anything. So he assembled Damn Yankees. Geffen passed on them so he signed them to Warner Bros. Drummer Michael Cartellone was in Shaw's touring band. The 1990 album Damn Yankees was produced by recording engineer Ron Nevison. The band wrote all the songs. High Enough reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. The 1992 album Don't Tread didn't do as well. Where You Goin' Now was a top 20 hit. Damn Yankees started a third album but then they split up. It looks like there may have been some conflict between Nugent and Blades that caused the split. Nugent returned to his solo career. Shaw Blades recorded an album for Warner Bros. in 1995. But hard rock wasn't popular at the time so it was unsuccessful. This comp covers both Damn Yankees albums. Shaw returned to Styx and Blades returned to Night Ranger. Damn Yankees reformed in 1999 to record but they were unhappy with the album and it was shelved. Damn Yankees have reunited occasionally. They haven't ruled out recording again. But it doesn't seem like Nugent is interested. Here's the video for High Enough by Damn Yankees. Thanks to Ultimate Classic Rock for some of the Damn Yankees details.
Song:High Enough
Album:The Essentials
The shortlived supergroup Damn Yankees scored a top five hit in 1990 with High Enough. They only released two albums so it's weird that Warner Bros. has released a comp CD. It's also odd to see guitar legend Ted Nugent in a pedestrian hard rock group. But in 1988, Nugent hadn't had a hit in a decade. Tommy Shaw had left Styx and his solo career wasn't going anywhere. Bassist Jack Blades had just left Night Ranger and he hadn't decided what he wanted to do. Geffen Records A&R exec John Kalodner had dinner with Shaw and Blades and he knew Nugent wasn't doing anything. So he assembled Damn Yankees. Geffen passed on them so he signed them to Warner Bros. Drummer Michael Cartellone was in Shaw's touring band. The 1990 album Damn Yankees was produced by recording engineer Ron Nevison. The band wrote all the songs. High Enough reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. The 1992 album Don't Tread didn't do as well. Where You Goin' Now was a top 20 hit. Damn Yankees started a third album but then they split up. It looks like there may have been some conflict between Nugent and Blades that caused the split. Nugent returned to his solo career. Shaw Blades recorded an album for Warner Bros. in 1995. But hard rock wasn't popular at the time so it was unsuccessful. This comp covers both Damn Yankees albums. Shaw returned to Styx and Blades returned to Night Ranger. Damn Yankees reformed in 1999 to record but they were unhappy with the album and it was shelved. Damn Yankees have reunited occasionally. They haven't ruled out recording again. But it doesn't seem like Nugent is interested. Here's the video for High Enough by Damn Yankees. Thanks to Ultimate Classic Rock for some of the Damn Yankees details.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-NXT Women's Battle Royal
Here's the match video of the women's battle royal from last night's episode of NXT. The winner gets a title shot after Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm after When Worlds Collide. The main thing is this picks up towards the end. The first part is blah. They have Shayna Baszler and Mercedes Martinez face off which may be a tease for an upcoming program. The final four seem to be Tegan Nox, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and Shayna. Tegan runs wild and Shotzi Blackheart was hiding. She was never eliminated. She throws Shayna out and then gets thrown out herself. Dakota Kai comes out and eliminates Tegan. The closing stretch with Io and Bianca is really good and it makes me want to see a match between them. Bianca wins with her finisher so she gets the title shot. Like I said, the ending is pretty good so check it out.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Twisted Sister
Artist:Twisted Sister
Song:I Wanna Rock
Song:The Best of the Atlantic Years
Most music fans should remember Twisted Sister from the videos for I Wanna Rock and We're Not Gonna Take It that played constantly on MTV. They never had a big radio hit. When guitarist John "Jay Jay French" Segall formed what became Twisted Sister in 1972, they were the New Jersey version of the New York Dolls. So they were a glam rock band. This changed when Danny "Dee" Snider became the new lead singer in 1976. Snider preferred a more hard rock direction and he wrote songs. Twisted Sister played locally and they tried to get a record deal. They signed with the British label Secret Records. By this time the lineup was Snider, Segall, Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda on guitar, Mark "The Animal" Mendoza on bass and A.J. Pero on drums. They released an EP and the 1982 album Under The Blade and then Secret closed. But part of the deal was an appearance on the British TV show The Tube. Atlantic Records saw them and signed them. Their 1983 Atlantic debut album You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll did well enough that Atlantic thought Twisted Sister could do really well. They brought in veteran hard rock producer Tom Werman for the 1984 album Stay Hungry. We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock were the single. The videos featured Mark Metcalf from the 1978 film Animal House playing a screaming authority figure who gets clobbered. Kids loved that when it played on MTV. Stay Hungry was certified 3XPlatinum without a big hit single. This showed how important MTV had become. The 1985 album Come Out and Play didn't do nearly as well. Snider recorded a solo album but Atlantic would only release Love Is for Suckers as a Twisted Sister album. They split up in 1988. This CD has all their Atlantic hits. Twisted Sister reformed occasionally. And after the 2015 death of A.J. Pero, they did a retirement tour in 2016. Here's the video for I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister.
Song:I Wanna Rock
Song:The Best of the Atlantic Years
Most music fans should remember Twisted Sister from the videos for I Wanna Rock and We're Not Gonna Take It that played constantly on MTV. They never had a big radio hit. When guitarist John "Jay Jay French" Segall formed what became Twisted Sister in 1972, they were the New Jersey version of the New York Dolls. So they were a glam rock band. This changed when Danny "Dee" Snider became the new lead singer in 1976. Snider preferred a more hard rock direction and he wrote songs. Twisted Sister played locally and they tried to get a record deal. They signed with the British label Secret Records. By this time the lineup was Snider, Segall, Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda on guitar, Mark "The Animal" Mendoza on bass and A.J. Pero on drums. They released an EP and the 1982 album Under The Blade and then Secret closed. But part of the deal was an appearance on the British TV show The Tube. Atlantic Records saw them and signed them. Their 1983 Atlantic debut album You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll did well enough that Atlantic thought Twisted Sister could do really well. They brought in veteran hard rock producer Tom Werman for the 1984 album Stay Hungry. We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock were the single. The videos featured Mark Metcalf from the 1978 film Animal House playing a screaming authority figure who gets clobbered. Kids loved that when it played on MTV. Stay Hungry was certified 3XPlatinum without a big hit single. This showed how important MTV had become. The 1985 album Come Out and Play didn't do nearly as well. Snider recorded a solo album but Atlantic would only release Love Is for Suckers as a Twisted Sister album. They split up in 1988. This CD has all their Atlantic hits. Twisted Sister reformed occasionally. And after the 2015 death of A.J. Pero, they did a retirement tour in 2016. Here's the video for I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Jackson
Artist:Michael Jackson
Song:Thriller
Album:Thriller
Michael Jackson was already a huge star when Thriller made him an even bigger star. But the most important thing about Thriller was the significance of the music video and how it increased the power of MTV. Jackson's 1979 album Off The Wall was successful enough that he was already at Elvis Presley levels of stardom. He was called the King of Pop. He planned to record with Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury but Mercury's drug abuse and Jackson bringing his llama to the recording studio ended that. Jackson also worked on The Jacksons 1984 album Victory and he contributed a song to Steven Speilberg's 1982 film E.T. Jackson didn't think Off The Wall was a big enough success. So he wanted Thriller to be much bigger. That was his mindset when he entered the studio with producer Quincy Jones and the usual gaggle of studio musicians. Rod Temperton wrote Thriller because he knew Jackson loved horror movies. Temperton, Brian Banks, Greg Phillinganes and Anthony Marinelli all played keyboards on Thriller with David Williams on guitar and Jerry Hey of Seawind arranged the horns. Jones brought in Vincent Price to narrate. He knew Jackson would love that. Jackson wanted the video to be like the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London. He hired that film's director John Landis to direct the video. The two wrote the script based on the 1957 film I Was A Teenage Werewolf. Jackson and Michael Peters choreographed. Jackson's girlfriend was played by Ola Ray. Rick Baker did the makeup effects as he had done on An American Werewolf on London. This was the first music video that was produced like a major film. And that was why it was so successful. There was even a documentary about the making of the video. As big as Thriller was for Jackson, it was bigger for MTV as it established them as a force in pop music. And record companies had to improve the production of music videos. Up to that point, music videos were pretty cheesy. Thriller is available as a budget CD and a 25th anniversary edition is also available. Here's the full version of the video for thriller by Michael Jackson.
Song:Thriller
Album:Thriller
Michael Jackson was already a huge star when Thriller made him an even bigger star. But the most important thing about Thriller was the significance of the music video and how it increased the power of MTV. Jackson's 1979 album Off The Wall was successful enough that he was already at Elvis Presley levels of stardom. He was called the King of Pop. He planned to record with Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury but Mercury's drug abuse and Jackson bringing his llama to the recording studio ended that. Jackson also worked on The Jacksons 1984 album Victory and he contributed a song to Steven Speilberg's 1982 film E.T. Jackson didn't think Off The Wall was a big enough success. So he wanted Thriller to be much bigger. That was his mindset when he entered the studio with producer Quincy Jones and the usual gaggle of studio musicians. Rod Temperton wrote Thriller because he knew Jackson loved horror movies. Temperton, Brian Banks, Greg Phillinganes and Anthony Marinelli all played keyboards on Thriller with David Williams on guitar and Jerry Hey of Seawind arranged the horns. Jones brought in Vincent Price to narrate. He knew Jackson would love that. Jackson wanted the video to be like the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London. He hired that film's director John Landis to direct the video. The two wrote the script based on the 1957 film I Was A Teenage Werewolf. Jackson and Michael Peters choreographed. Jackson's girlfriend was played by Ola Ray. Rick Baker did the makeup effects as he had done on An American Werewolf on London. This was the first music video that was produced like a major film. And that was why it was so successful. There was even a documentary about the making of the video. As big as Thriller was for Jackson, it was bigger for MTV as it established them as a force in pop music. And record companies had to improve the production of music videos. Up to that point, music videos were pretty cheesy. Thriller is available as a budget CD and a 25th anniversary edition is also available. Here's the full version of the video for thriller by Michael Jackson.
Monday, January 13, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Bowie
Artist:David Bowie
Song:Young Americans
Album:Nothing Has Changed
David Bowie was always known as a musical chameleon able to reinvent himself on a regular basis. The first time he did this was with the 1975 album Young Americans. Bowie's interpretation of soul was a big shock to fans who knew him as Ziggy Stardust. While Bowie was touring to promote the 1974 album Diamond Dogs, he moved to Los Angeles and made plans to record at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, the home of Philly Soul. He wanted the music to be authentic so he wanted to work with real musicians. The key figure was guitarist Carlos Alomar. He plays the guitar solo in the video. Alomar was a session musician. At the time, he was touring with Roy Ayers and The Main Ingredient. He met Bowie for the first time at the Young Americans sessions. And he remained with Bowie's band for twenty years. Other musicians were Mike Garson on piano, David Sanborn on sax, Earl Slick on guitar, Willie Weeks on bass and Andy Newmark on drums. Luther Vandross led the backup singers and arranged the vocals. Only Slick was a member of Bowie's band. The rest were session musicians. Young Americans was a success. It was certified Gold. The single Young Americans reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fame topped the charts. For the 1976 album Station To Station, Bowie created The Thin White Duke and recorded soul. After that, he moved to Germany and created his Berlin phase. Though Bowie's soul phase was short lived, it set up fan acceptance for future changes. The 2014 comp Nothing Has Changed is available in 3CD or 2CD versions. The 2CD version is available as a budget CD. Here's David Bowie performing Young Americans on The Dick Cavett Show Dec. 4, 1974.
Song:Young Americans
Album:Nothing Has Changed
David Bowie was always known as a musical chameleon able to reinvent himself on a regular basis. The first time he did this was with the 1975 album Young Americans. Bowie's interpretation of soul was a big shock to fans who knew him as Ziggy Stardust. While Bowie was touring to promote the 1974 album Diamond Dogs, he moved to Los Angeles and made plans to record at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, the home of Philly Soul. He wanted the music to be authentic so he wanted to work with real musicians. The key figure was guitarist Carlos Alomar. He plays the guitar solo in the video. Alomar was a session musician. At the time, he was touring with Roy Ayers and The Main Ingredient. He met Bowie for the first time at the Young Americans sessions. And he remained with Bowie's band for twenty years. Other musicians were Mike Garson on piano, David Sanborn on sax, Earl Slick on guitar, Willie Weeks on bass and Andy Newmark on drums. Luther Vandross led the backup singers and arranged the vocals. Only Slick was a member of Bowie's band. The rest were session musicians. Young Americans was a success. It was certified Gold. The single Young Americans reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fame topped the charts. For the 1976 album Station To Station, Bowie created The Thin White Duke and recorded soul. After that, he moved to Germany and created his Berlin phase. Though Bowie's soul phase was short lived, it set up fan acceptance for future changes. The 2014 comp Nothing Has Changed is available in 3CD or 2CD versions. The 2CD version is available as a budget CD. Here's David Bowie performing Young Americans on The Dick Cavett Show Dec. 4, 1974.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Londonbeat
Artist:Londonbeat
Song:I've Been Thinking About You
Album:In The Blood
I've Been Thinking About You topped the charts internationally in 1990. I think most music fans remember the song but know nothing about Londonbeat. They only had a couple of hits from In The Blood and subsequent albums did poorly. They are still around. Jimmy Helms, Jimmy Chambers and George Chandler all had singing careers before Londonbeat was formed in 1988. Chandler was born in Atlanta but he moved to England in 1973. He was lead singer of Gonzalez and a member of Central Line and Olympic Runners. Helms is from Florida and he moved to England when he was in the Army. He scored a top ten hit in England in 1973 with Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse. Then he became a jingle singer. Chambers was in Central Line. They met songwriter and producer William "Willy M" Henshall and Londonbeat was formed. One of their demos got the attention of Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics and he signed them to his Anxious label with RCA distribution. When I've Been Thinking About You became a hit in England, MCA picked it up in the US and it topped the Billboard Hot 100. After one more chart single, subsequent albums did poorly. In The Blood is available as a budget CD. Londonbeat usually wrote their own songs and Henshall produced though Swing Out Sister producer Martyn Phillips produced I've Been Thinking About You. Londonbeat split up in 1994. Helms and Chambers reformed Londonbeat in 2003 and with Charles Pierre, they still perform and record occasionally. Well, you know what I always say. One big hit is better than none. Here's the video for I've Been Thinking About You by Londonbeat.
Song:I've Been Thinking About You
Album:In The Blood
I've Been Thinking About You topped the charts internationally in 1990. I think most music fans remember the song but know nothing about Londonbeat. They only had a couple of hits from In The Blood and subsequent albums did poorly. They are still around. Jimmy Helms, Jimmy Chambers and George Chandler all had singing careers before Londonbeat was formed in 1988. Chandler was born in Atlanta but he moved to England in 1973. He was lead singer of Gonzalez and a member of Central Line and Olympic Runners. Helms is from Florida and he moved to England when he was in the Army. He scored a top ten hit in England in 1973 with Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse. Then he became a jingle singer. Chambers was in Central Line. They met songwriter and producer William "Willy M" Henshall and Londonbeat was formed. One of their demos got the attention of Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics and he signed them to his Anxious label with RCA distribution. When I've Been Thinking About You became a hit in England, MCA picked it up in the US and it topped the Billboard Hot 100. After one more chart single, subsequent albums did poorly. In The Blood is available as a budget CD. Londonbeat usually wrote their own songs and Henshall produced though Swing Out Sister producer Martyn Phillips produced I've Been Thinking About You. Londonbeat split up in 1994. Helms and Chambers reformed Londonbeat in 2003 and with Charles Pierre, they still perform and record occasionally. Well, you know what I always say. One big hit is better than none. Here's the video for I've Been Thinking About You by Londonbeat.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Julianna Pena vs Aspen Ladd added to Mar. 28 UFC show
Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported last night that Julianna Pena vs Aspen Ladd has been added to UFC on ESPN 8 Mar. 28 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Aspen confirmed this on Twitter. This is a pivotal match in the UFC Bantamweight division. Julianna is 30 years old from Spokane, WA. She now lives in Chicago but she returns home to train for fights at Sikjitsu. Her record is 9-3 and 5-1 in the UFC. Julianna won TUF 18 and was on her way to a Bantamweight title shot when she lost to Valentina Shevchenko. She was winning that fight and she screwed up. Then she got married and took a two year pregnancy break. Julianna returned to action with a win over Nicco Montano July 2019. Aspen is 24 years old. She trains at MMA Gold in El Dorado Hills, CA. with Jim West who is also her boyfriend. Her record is 9-1. After a loss to Germaine De Randamie, Aspen beat Yana Kunitskaya in Dec. with a third round TKO. This was after West yelled at her between rounds. Aspen is ranked #2. Julianna is ranked #4. I think it's fair to say that the winner of this fight should get the next title shot. And both are exciting fighters so I am looking forward to this one.Let’s run it @ufc #MMAGOLD https://t.co/TsjJ3d6qU1
— Aspen Ladd (@AspenLaddMMA) January 11, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gyedu-Blay Ambolley
Artist:Gyedu-Blay Ambolley
Song:This Hustling World
Album:Simigwa
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a pioneer in what became known as Highlife music. It mixes African rhythms with funk and jazz. Ambolley plays sax and sings. He was born in Sekwondi, Western Ghana in 1947. After teaching himself to play the flute, Ambolley learned the basics from another Ghanaian music legend Ebo Taylor. He was also influenced by R&B and jazz. This Hustling World is from Ambolley's 1975 debut album Simigwa. His band is called Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and his Creations. Ebo Taylor produced the album. It has been reissued on CD by Mr. Bongo. In the 80s Ambolley was one of the leading lights of what was called Highlife music. I remember hearing this term at the time and I came to the conclusion that it was a marketing term. When I listen to a guy like Ambolley, he has his Ghanaian music base influenced by funk and jazz. It's fun to listen to. Ambolley moved to New York in 1988 and he has lived in the US ever since. He currently lives in Los Angeles and records for his own label. His latest CD 11th Street, Sekondi was released in 2019 on the German label Agogo. Here's Gyedu-Blay Ambolley with Juicebox performing This Hustling World at the 2010 Haarlem Jazz in The Netherlands.
Song:This Hustling World
Album:Simigwa
Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a pioneer in what became known as Highlife music. It mixes African rhythms with funk and jazz. Ambolley plays sax and sings. He was born in Sekwondi, Western Ghana in 1947. After teaching himself to play the flute, Ambolley learned the basics from another Ghanaian music legend Ebo Taylor. He was also influenced by R&B and jazz. This Hustling World is from Ambolley's 1975 debut album Simigwa. His band is called Gyedu-Blay Ambolley and his Creations. Ebo Taylor produced the album. It has been reissued on CD by Mr. Bongo. In the 80s Ambolley was one of the leading lights of what was called Highlife music. I remember hearing this term at the time and I came to the conclusion that it was a marketing term. When I listen to a guy like Ambolley, he has his Ghanaian music base influenced by funk and jazz. It's fun to listen to. Ambolley moved to New York in 1988 and he has lived in the US ever since. He currently lives in Los Angeles and records for his own label. His latest CD 11th Street, Sekondi was released in 2019 on the German label Agogo. Here's Gyedu-Blay Ambolley with Juicebox performing This Hustling World at the 2010 Haarlem Jazz in The Netherlands.
Friday, January 10, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dottie West
Artist:Dottie West
Song:Country Sunshine
Album:Country Sunshine: The RCA Hit Singles 1963-1974
The 1974 single Country Sunshine was the biggest hit in the long career if Country Music Hall of Fame member Dottie West mostly because it was used in a Coke commercial. It also came at a time when she was trying to project a sexier image which was very controversial at the time. She was born Oct. 11, 1932 in Smithville, TN the oldest of ten children. Dottie helped her mom run a restaurant. Dottie's father was an alcoholic who beat and sexually abused her. She was 17 when she had him charged. She testified against him and he was sentenced to 40 years. Dottie earned a music scholarship at Tennessee Tech where she met her first husband steel guitarist Bill West. After graduating, she moved to Cleveland and appeared on the TV show Landmark Jamboree as one half of The Kay-Dots with Kathy Dee. After a few singles for Starday, Dottie moved to Nashville in 1961 and hung out with Willie Nelson and other songwriters. She invited them for dinner and they helped her with her songwriting. She also became close with Patsy Cline and husband Charlie Dick. Dottie toured with Patsy until her 1963 death in a plane crash. After Jim Reeves scored a hit with one of Dottie's songs Is This Me, he took her to Chet Atkins and she signed with RCA. Her biggest hits in those early days were Would You Hold It Against Me in 1966 and Paper Mansions in 1968. She also recorded hits with Don Gibson. Dottie divorced Bill West in 1971 and married drummer Byron Metcalf in 1972. Meanwhile Coca-Cola hired Dottie to write a jingle based on her single Country Girl. They liked it so much Billy Davis of McCann-Erickson Advertising hired her to write Country Sunshine. Davis worked for Motown and Chess before he joined McCann-Erickson. The commercial was so popular that RCA released it as a single and it reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. It turned out to be her biggest hit. She soon left RCA for United Artists. This CD has all her RCA hits. That change also signified Dottie leaving behind the traditional gingham dresses for a more glamorous image. She had her greatest success at UA recording duets with Kenny Rogers like What Are We Doin' In Love. Dottie faded after that and by 1985 she lost her record deal. Dottie continued to perform until injuries suffered in an Aug. 30, 1991 car crash led to her death on Sept. 4, 1991 at age 58. Dottie West was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Here's Dottie West performing Country Sunshine in 1976 I think. There are also videos of her performing the song in a gingham dress before she left RCA.
Song:Country Sunshine
Album:Country Sunshine: The RCA Hit Singles 1963-1974
The 1974 single Country Sunshine was the biggest hit in the long career if Country Music Hall of Fame member Dottie West mostly because it was used in a Coke commercial. It also came at a time when she was trying to project a sexier image which was very controversial at the time. She was born Oct. 11, 1932 in Smithville, TN the oldest of ten children. Dottie helped her mom run a restaurant. Dottie's father was an alcoholic who beat and sexually abused her. She was 17 when she had him charged. She testified against him and he was sentenced to 40 years. Dottie earned a music scholarship at Tennessee Tech where she met her first husband steel guitarist Bill West. After graduating, she moved to Cleveland and appeared on the TV show Landmark Jamboree as one half of The Kay-Dots with Kathy Dee. After a few singles for Starday, Dottie moved to Nashville in 1961 and hung out with Willie Nelson and other songwriters. She invited them for dinner and they helped her with her songwriting. She also became close with Patsy Cline and husband Charlie Dick. Dottie toured with Patsy until her 1963 death in a plane crash. After Jim Reeves scored a hit with one of Dottie's songs Is This Me, he took her to Chet Atkins and she signed with RCA. Her biggest hits in those early days were Would You Hold It Against Me in 1966 and Paper Mansions in 1968. She also recorded hits with Don Gibson. Dottie divorced Bill West in 1971 and married drummer Byron Metcalf in 1972. Meanwhile Coca-Cola hired Dottie to write a jingle based on her single Country Girl. They liked it so much Billy Davis of McCann-Erickson Advertising hired her to write Country Sunshine. Davis worked for Motown and Chess before he joined McCann-Erickson. The commercial was so popular that RCA released it as a single and it reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. It turned out to be her biggest hit. She soon left RCA for United Artists. This CD has all her RCA hits. That change also signified Dottie leaving behind the traditional gingham dresses for a more glamorous image. She had her greatest success at UA recording duets with Kenny Rogers like What Are We Doin' In Love. Dottie faded after that and by 1985 she lost her record deal. Dottie continued to perform until injuries suffered in an Aug. 30, 1991 car crash led to her death on Sept. 4, 1991 at age 58. Dottie West was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Here's Dottie West performing Country Sunshine in 1976 I think. There are also videos of her performing the song in a gingham dress before she left RCA.
Thursday, January 09, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Jan. 9, 2020
Io Shirai, Invicta FC 39 analysis and new fight announcements.
Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade added to Apr. 18 UFC show
A bunch of guys reported this afternoon that Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade has been added to UFC 249 Apt. 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Of course this is a rematch from when Jessica won the UFC Strawweight Championship. And then Weili Zhang beat Jessica for the title. It was a strange match because Rose was winning until Jessica KOd her with a power bomb. After that it seemed like Rose pondered retirement. We all know Rose has the physical skills and a great coach in Trevor Wittman. But is her head in the game? That will determine if she wins this match. Jessica is coming off of a big loss. I think she would want to make a statement with a win. Whoever wins may get the next title shot.Running it 🔙 in Brooklyn (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/bzRIw1fUso
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 9, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae and Toni Storm vs Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray and Bianca Belair
Here's the match video of Rhea Ripley, Candice Le Rae and Toni Storm vs Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray and Bianca Belair from last night's episode of NXT. This begins with a Rhea Ripley promo and everyone comes out to challenge her. They start brawling and it turns into a six woman match. Candice is getting clobbered for the first part of the match. The end has Io about to moonsault when Bianca tags herself in. That pisses Io off and she hits Bianca with a springboard dropkick. Rhea tags in and wins the match with the Rip Tide. Next week a battle royal will determine the next challenger for the NXT Women's Championship. Enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mutual Benefit
Artist:Mutual Benefit
Song:Strong River
Album:Love's Crushing Diamond
Mutual Benefit started out as a home recording project. By the 2013 album Love's Crushing Diamond it became a band and they have had some indie success. The guy behind Mutual Benefit is Columbus, OH native Jordan Lee. He started writing in high school influenced by Elliott Smith. After graduating from high school, Lee moved to Texas and then Boston where he started working on Mutual Benefit in earnest. After posting music on Bandcamp, Lee moved to St. Louis to work on Love's Crushing Diamond. That's when he turned it into a band. The personnel is fluid but violinist Jake Falby and drummer Dillon Zahner appeared on the album and still are part of Mutual Benefit. Lee released Love's Crushing Diamond on limited edition vinyl on his own label. After it got rave reviews from critics, Lee signed with Fat Possum's Other label and it was released as a digital download. This was never released on CD. I would describe Lee's music as neo psychedelic electronic folk. Lee has released a total of four albums as Mutual Benefit. His latest album Thunder Follows The Light was released in 2018 on Transgressive Records. Mutual Benefit toured last fall. Lee may be working in new music. Here's Mutual Benefit performing Strong River on KEXP in Seattle Jan. 22, 2014.
Song:Strong River
Album:Love's Crushing Diamond
Mutual Benefit started out as a home recording project. By the 2013 album Love's Crushing Diamond it became a band and they have had some indie success. The guy behind Mutual Benefit is Columbus, OH native Jordan Lee. He started writing in high school influenced by Elliott Smith. After graduating from high school, Lee moved to Texas and then Boston where he started working on Mutual Benefit in earnest. After posting music on Bandcamp, Lee moved to St. Louis to work on Love's Crushing Diamond. That's when he turned it into a band. The personnel is fluid but violinist Jake Falby and drummer Dillon Zahner appeared on the album and still are part of Mutual Benefit. Lee released Love's Crushing Diamond on limited edition vinyl on his own label. After it got rave reviews from critics, Lee signed with Fat Possum's Other label and it was released as a digital download. This was never released on CD. I would describe Lee's music as neo psychedelic electronic folk. Lee has released a total of four albums as Mutual Benefit. His latest album Thunder Follows The Light was released in 2018 on Transgressive Records. Mutual Benefit toured last fall. Lee may be working in new music. Here's Mutual Benefit performing Strong River on KEXP in Seattle Jan. 22, 2014.
Wednesday, January 08, 2020
Loma Lookboonmee vs Hannah Goldy added to Feb. 22 UFC show
The New Zealand Herald reported today that Loma Lookboonmee vs Hannah Goldy has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 26 Feb. 22 at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. This fight will be at Strawweight. Loma is 23 years old from Thailand. She trains with George Hickman at Tiger Muay Thai. Her record is 4-1. She's an experienced Muay Thai fighter attempting to cross over to MMA. I think she's green at MMA and she's an Atomweight trying to fight at Strawweight. She won her UFC debut when Aleksandra Albu didn't take her out of her comfort zone. I have doubts about Hannah doing that too. She's 27 years old from Tampa. Her record is 5-1. After failing to win a UFC contract on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, she lost in her UFC debut to Miranda Granger. Hannah lacked aggression. She needs to improve in that area to stay in the UFC.View this post on InstagramSee you soon New Zealand! #ufcaukland
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