AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The National

Artist:The National
Song:Fake Empire
Album:Boxer





The National performs a variety of alternative rock known as slowcore. They have been frequently compared to Joy Division though The National is a more acoustic band than those guys. Boxer was their breakthrough CD in 2007. The band is from Cincinnati. Lead singer Matt Berninger and bassist Scott Devendorf met in 1991 while attending the University of Cincinnati. They formed the band Nancy with three other guys. They recorded one album and split up in 1997 after moving to Brooklyn, NY. Scott's twin brother Bryan Devendorf (drums) and twin brothers Aaron (guitar and keyboard) and Bryce Dessner (guitar) had the band Project Nim. It split up and they moved to Brooklyn to form The National in 1999. The band name is intentionally generic. I would prefer a more descriptive or personal name. They gained enough of a following playing gigs in the New York area to release a couple of CDs on their own label. They signed with Beggars Banquet Records and the 2005 CD Alligator was their major label debut. The CD was critically acclaimed and they toured nationally to support it. The 2007 CD Boxer did even better. The National made their TV debut performing Fake Empire on Late Night with David Letterman and the song appeared in the NBC sitcom Chuck. There is also a documentary about the making of Boxer. The National left Beggars Banquet for 4AD Records and released High Violet May 2010. That album reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200. So though The National have never had a hit single, they are touring regularly and the TV exposure has helped them. The National campaigned for President Barack Obama in 2008 and are currently touring to promote the Gotta Vote campaign. You can get Boxer as a budget CD. Here's The National performing Fake Empire on Late Night with David Letterman July 24, 2007.

STARDOM killing time until Yuzuki Aikawa is champ

So everyone knows that STARDOM has this big show coming up next spring. And it's obvious to me the plan for that show is to have bikini model Yuzuki Aikawa beat Nanae Takahashi for their championship. I'll call it the red belt as I'm sure long time fans will know what I'm talking about. She already has the secondary white belt. Aikawa won the 5 Star Grand Prix league on Sunday when she beat Kyoko Kimura in the final. But eyebrows were raised when Aikawa beat current champ Nanae Takahashi as part of this league. Normally there are fluke wins in these type of leagues. But it's been very obvious for a while that STARDOM owner Hiroshi Ogawa plans to make Aikawa his ace. Of course it's insulting to veteran wrestlers like Takahashi. But remember Takahashi is part of management so obviously she has bought into Ogawa's concept. I've watched Aikawa enough to come to the conclusion that she can't wrestle. All she does is kicks and she's been around long enough that she should have improved but she hasn't. You don't hitch your star to someone who lacks the aptitude for wrestling. She's not qualified. But Ogawa doesn't care.  He will do with Aikawa what he always wanted to do with Fuuka. I don't know if fans will buy it. So a lot of STARDOM's booking right now is timewasting until they can put the belt on Aikawa. That's what the 5 Star Grand Prix was. And they're doing something similar with tag teams. One of the wrestlers they are bringing over for that is Christina Von Eerie. She will team with Kyoko Kimura. Meanwhile on Oct. 14 Aikawa will defend her title against Act Yasukawa. And the are bringing over Canadian Sha Nay Nay and US wrestler Veda Scott to team up against Hiroyo Matsumoto and Io Shirai. And on the Oct. 21 Osaka show, Nanae Takahashi will defend the red belt against German wrestler Alpha Female. Takahashi looked at her picture at the press conference and took note of her size because she's bigger than Takahashi. And though she has been wrestling since 2001, Alpha Female has never wrestled outside Europe. She used to be called Jazzy Bi and she has worked a lot for the British company Pro Wrestling EVE. I think she's their champ right now. I'd like to see her beat up Aikawa. But she won't beat Takahashi. Bringing over gaijin wrestlers is just killing time until Ogawa makes the big move to make Aikawa champ next spring. He's just trying to create interest for the time being.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jovino Santos Neto

Artist:Jovino Santos Neto
Song:Festa de Ere (Children's Party)
Album:Roda Carioca





Brazilian jazz pianist Jovino Santos Neto was musical director for Hermeto Pascoal for 15 years. Since then he has moved to Seattle and brought his Brazilian rhythms to the Pacific Northwest. He was born Sept. 18, 1954 in Rio de Janeiro. He studied classical piano as a child and played in rock bands as a teen. While studying biology at McGill University in Montreal, he got more interested in jazz. After finishing school in 1977, he joined the band of Brazilian music legend Hermeto Pascoal. Neto was musical director and produced and arranged Pascoal's albums until 1992. After a short stint with Sergio Mendes, Neto moved to Seattle and joined Airto Moreira & Flora Purim's group Fourth World for four years. He also started teaching at Cornish Institute in Seattle. He has also worked as a sideman for Mike Marshall and Gary Stroutsos among others. Neto's debut CD as a leader was Caboclo in 1997. Feste de Ere is from his 2006 CD Roda Carioca. It was his first CD for Adventure Music and he still records there. For this CD, Neto returned to Brazil and worked with top musicians like Rogerio Rotter Maio on bass, and Marco Bahia on drums along with guest musicians like Marcos Amorim on guitar, Hamilton de Holanda on melodica, Gabriel Grossi on harmonica and Fabio Pascoal on percussion. Neto plays piano, flute and accordian. Neto's latest CD Current was released Nov. 2011. Those who are fans of jazz and Brazilian rhythms mixed with other elements will enjoy Neto's music. Here's Jovino Santos Neto performing Festa de Ere in Brazil 2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Richard & Linda Thompson

Artist:Richard & Linda Thompson
Song:Don't Renege On Our Love
Album:Shoot Out The Lights





British singer, songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson has been around since the 60s and is still around. But in the 70s, he recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums with wife Linda Thompson. Shoot Out The Lights was recorded as the marriage was deteriorating and though it was highly acclaimed, they split up anyway. Richard Thompson was born Apr. 3, 1949 in London, England. He was first noticed as a member of the late 60s folk group Fairport Convention. Thompson was gaining a reputation as an outstanding guitarist and then he started writing songs. Thompson left Fairport Convention in 1971 and recorded his solo debut Henry The Human Fly in 1972. Linda Peters was a background singer on the album and the two married and started working together soon after. Their 1974 album I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight was highly acclaimed but didn't sell. They recorded two more albums and then Richard quit the music business after converting to Muslim. He returned to music in 1977 and they released the album First Light in 1979 on Chrysalis Records. It didn't sell so Chrysalis dropped them. In 1980, they toured with Gerry Rafferty and he agreed to finance Shoot Out The Lights. They signed with Joe Boyd's Hannibal label and toured the US. The album was highly acclaimed and it looked like they might break through. But the marriage had broken up and they couldn't work together anymore. It's very obvious what songs like Don't Renege On Our Love are about. Richard Thompson commutes between London and Los Angeles and still tours and records. Linda Thompson was on the fringe of the London folk music scene before she married Richard. And she has gone back to that though in recent years she has toured with their son Teddy Thompson. Richard & Linda Thompson reunited on a 2010 Kate McGarrigle tribute concert. Shoot Out The Lights is worth getting. Here's Richard Thompson performing Don't Renege On Our Love on Rockpalast in Germany 1983.

Big Bad Blog Video Theatre-Michelle Ould vs Munah Holland

Today's edition of Big Bad Blog Video Theatre features Michelle Ould vs Munah Holland from Friday's Bellator show in Atlantic City. It was on the Spike TV website but it was geo blocked outside North America. So I know fans in Europe and Asia didn't get to see it live. The other day I laughed when Michelle told MMA Weekly that she didn't want this fight to be Ground Girl vs Boxer. She wants to show that she is a complete fighter. But Munah is a veteran boxer who is unproven on the ground. So of course it would be foolish for Michelle to trade punches with her. Not that other fighters haven't tried to do that. So in this fight Michelle needed to test Munah's takedown defense and then keep her on the ground. And that's exactly what she did. She took her down in all three rounds and pounded her. Munah didn't have much of a response to this. She tried to throw punches from the bottom and also tried a triangle choke. But neither was effective. What she needed to do is reverse and get on top. But she was never able to do that and Michelle won by unanimous decision. Michelle was always active so the ref never had to stand them up. She was certainly arm weary by the middle of round three. This was exactly the strategy Michelle needed to use in this fight and it paid off. Some might think this was an upset but I don't. Michelle is a well rounded fighter and she always comes to the cage with a clear game plan. And if she needs to change her game plan. she has the ability to do that. A lot of fighters don't have that ability. Munah Holland is a great boxer. But she needs to improve her takedown defense and her grappling. Fighters seeing this fight will know how to handle her unless she takes steps to improve. Entering Grappler's Quest and other grappling tournaments would do her some good. Michelle Ould broke her hand in round one. After speaking with her, I'm concerned that she may need surgery to fix it. That could keep her out for a long time. She is seeing her doctor in California this week. Hopefully she will be ready for Bellator's 2013 tournament for 125lb fighters. It would be a shame if she missed that. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hugo Montenegro

Artist:Hugo Montenegro
Song:The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Album:Music From The Good, The Bad and The Ugly




Hugo Montenegro was a film music composer, arranger and conductor and he also recorded movie theme albums for RCA Records in the 60s. His cover of Ennio Morricone's theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was a top five hit in 1968. Montenegro was born Sept. 2, 1925 in New York City. During WWII, he served in the US Navy as an arranger for the Newport Naval Base Band in Newport, RI. After the war, he studied composition at Manhattan College. In the 50s, he was an assistant to Columbia Records musical director Andre Kostalanetz and was a house conductor and arranger for The Glen-Spice Orchestra. Montenegro wanted to get into the film business so he moved to Los Angeles in 1960 to work for RCA Records. He had success with his albums of Jerry Goldsmith's music from the TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He also worked for Columbia Pictures and composed the scores for Hurry Sundown and the Matt Helm films The Ambushers and The Wrecking Crew. He continued to record for RCA and his cover of Ennio Morricone's theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. I understand that Morricone purists sneer at Montenegro's cover.. But I'm pretty sure that anyone who heard the song on the radio heard Montenegro's version. Montenegro added a rock backbeat that got it radio play the original would not have received. It also helped Morricone's original soundtrack album become a big seller. This CD covers Montenegro's Spaghetti Western music covers. Montenegro continued to compose music for films. In the 70s, he turned to electronic music until failing health forced him to retire. Hugo Montenegro died on Feb. 6, 1981 at age 55. Here's a video for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Hugo Montenegro.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Fortunes

Artist:The Fortunes
Song:You've Got Your Troubles
Album:The Singles





The Fortunes rode The British Invasion to their only US top ten hit You've Got Your Troubles in 1965. They faded soon after but had a couple more hits later. They were from Birmingham and started in 1963 as the vocal group The Cliftones with Rod Allen, Glen Dale and Barry Prichard. They signed with Decca Records in England and added keyboard player David Carr and drummer Andy Brown. Their first couple of singles didn't catch on. But then You've Got Your Troubles reached #2 on the British singles chart and #7 on the billboard Hot 100. The song was written by the veteran songwriting team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It's got great vocal harmonies and that's the reason the song is still a popular oldie today. They had more hits in England but not in the US. Glen Dale left in 1966 and was replaced by Shel McCrae. The Fortunes moved to United Artists in 1967 but they didn't adjust to the rise of psychedlia. A Coke jingle and the minor hit That Same Old Feeling kept them going. Then they signed with Capitol and had a US top 20 hit in 1971 with Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again. The Fortunes never split up. They just faded and Rod Allen led them on the nostalgia circuit for years. Because they were on multiple labels, it's hard to get all of The Fortunes hits on one CD. And beware of re-recorded versions. But this CD from the Dutch label BR Music has the original versions. Rod Allen and Barry Prichard led The Fortunes for years. Prichard died in 1999 and Allen died in 2008. A version of the band still tours. David Carr moved to the US and was a session mjusician for Kim Fowley. He died in 1999. Here are The Fortunes performing You've Got Your troubles on the 1965 NME Awards. This footage is on Youtube but the live audio has been replaced by the studio recording. I prefer the live version.
The Fortunes - You've Got Your Troubles by scootaway

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Herb Alpert

Artist:Herb Alpert
Song:Rise
Album:Definitive Hits





Trumpeter Herb Alpert is probably best remembered for his 60s recordings with The Tijuana Brass. After his run in the 60s, he struggled in the 70s until Rise topped the charts in 1979. He is the only artist in history to have vocal and instrumental number one hits. He was born Mar. 31, 1935 in Los Angeles. His parents were amateur musicians and his older brother played drums. Alpert took trumpet lessons as a child and played dances as a teen. After serving in The Army, he tried acting but decided on music instead. In 1957, he became a staff songwriter for Keen Records and wrote hits like Wonderful World for Sam Cooke and Alley Oop for The Hollywood Argyles. He also had his own band Dante & The Evergreens and recorded as a singer for RCA as Dore Alpert. In 1962, Alpert founded A & M Records with Jerry Moss. He started experimenting in his garage recording studio. On a trip to Tijuana, Alpert got the idea to do an Americanized version of a mariachi band. When he got home, he recorded The Lonely Bull complete with crowd noise. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. It was also the first A & M album release. They were called Herb Alpert &The Tijuana Brass but there was no band at first. Alpert overdubbed his trumpet several times. He did form a touring band in 1964. His biggest hit was A Taste Of Honey which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Alpert's first #1 hit had him singing Burt Bacharach's This Guy's In Love With You. He sang it to his wife on a 1968 TV special and then it was released as a single. Obviously Alpert is a very limited singer. The Tijuana Brass ended and Alpert struggled through most of the 70s until he topped the charts with Rise in 1979. Rise was written by Alpert's nephew Randy "Badazz" Alpert and Andy Armer. It gained a following when it was used in a major story arc on the daytime soap General Hospital. Then dance DJs picked it up and that led to mainstream radio play. It's obviously much different from the Tijuana Brass recordings but change was necessary. The album Rise was recorded after the single was a hit. Alpert had a top five hit in 1987 with Diamonds featuring Janet Jackson. You can get all his hits on this comp. Alpert & Moss sold A & M to PolyGram in 1993 and they started a new label Almo Sounds. Alpert currently records for Concord and his latest CD I Feel You was released last year. Here's the video for Rise by Herb Alpert. The woman Alpert is cavorting with in the video is his wife Lani Hall. She was a singer for Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 and she currently sings on her husband's CDs.They have been married since 1974.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Albinia Jones

Artist:Albinia Jones w/Don Byas' Swing Seven
Song:Evil Gal Blues
Album:Vocal Blues & Jazz Vol. 4: 1938-1949





Albinia Jones mostly sang with big bands in the 40s. She recorded a few songs as a leader in the late 40s but then was forced to retire in the 50s due to health problems. She was born Nov. 29, 1914 in Gulfport, MS and grew up singing in church. She moved to New York in 1932 and sang in clubs for the next two decades. She first recorded in 1945 with legendary sax player Don Byas. This recording of the blues standard Evil Gal Blues is from those sessions. Evil Gal Blues was written by Leonard Feather and Lionel Hampton. The most interesting thing about this recording is that Dizzy Gillespie plays trumpet on it. The band was called Don Byas' Swing Seven. Other musicians are Gene Sedric on clarinet, Sammy Price on piano, Leonard Ware on guitar, Oscar Smith on bass and Harold "Doc" West on drums. Albinia Jones also toured with Blanche Calloway, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Erskine Hawkins. In the late 40s, she recorded for Decca Records backed by a band led by Sammy Price. You can get all of Albinia's recordings on this CD from Document Records. They have topped it up with other singers because they didn't have enough Albinia Jones recordings to fill a CD. In the early 50s, Albinia was injured when she fell on stage and was forced to retire from music. It's too bad because it's clear that guys like Gillespie liked working with her. Albinia Jones died of leukemia on June 24, 1989 at age 74. Here's a video for Evil Gal Blues by Albinia Jones with Don Byas' Swing Seven.

Musical chairs shuffle Cat Zingano back to Oct. 6 Invicta show

Cat Zingano

I'm sure you have heard that this Saturday's Strikeforce show has been cancelled because Gilbert Melendez suffered a shoulder injury and was scratched from the main event. Showtime decided not to air the show without Melendez and Zuffa had no choice but to cancel the show. Of course the problem is all these fighters who were supposed to be on the show. Cat Zingano was supposed to make her Strikeforce debut against Amanda Nunes. Strikeforce has decided to allow Cat to go back to Invicta for the Oct. 6 show. She was originally to face Leslie Smith but was replaced by Kim Connor-Hamby when she signed with Strikeforce. Then when Sarah Kaufman got injured, Smith moved up the card to face Kaitlin Young. She was replaced by Raquel Pennington. Now Kim Connor-Hamby is out and Cat Zingano will face Raquel Pennington. That was convenient. My only reservation is that Cat has a big experience edge over Raquel but maybe that doesn't matter. I don't know and I hope this is the last change on this show.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bread

Artist:Bread
Song:Lost Without Your Love
Album:The Best of Bread





There has always been a market for mushy love songs. And Bread had a total of nine top ten hits in the 70s. Lost Without Your Love was the last of those hits in 1977. Lead singer and songwriter David Gates was already a successful Los Angeles session musician in the late 60s. He wrote the 1964 top five hit Popsicles and Icicles for The Murmaids and arranged the Glenn Yarbrough hit Baby, The Rain Must Fall. But he wanted to establish a recording career. He released a few unsuccessful singles. Guitarist James Griffin released an unsuccessful solo album in 1963 and then became a staff songwriter for Viva Publishing. He met bassist Robb Royer and brought him into his publishing deal. Royer was a member of The Pleaure Fair. They recorded an album in 1967 for UNI Records produced by David Gates. Royer introduced Griffin to Gates and Bread was formed and signed with Elektra Records. Their 1969 debut album didn't sell. They recorded it as a trio with session drummer Jim Gordon. For their second album On The Waters, session drummer Mike Botts became a permanent member of Bread. Make it With You Was Bread's only number one pop hit in 1970. They also had a top ten hit with It Don't Matter To Me. Their third album Manna didn't do as well. and Royer left and was replaced by session musician Larry Knechtel. After the top ten hits If, Baby I'm a Want You and Everything I Own, Bread split up in 1973. Griffin was upset that all of Bread's hits were written by Gates and they were clashing over song selection for the next album. Both guys recorded unsuccessful solo albums. Elektra convinced them to reunite in 1976 and Lost Without Your Love reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. They toured but Gates and Griffin weren't getting along. And after Gates did the second leg of the tour without Griffin, Bread split up for good. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. David Gates had some solo success with the theme of the 1979 film The Goodbye Girl. He attempted to tour as Bread but Griffin sued. That was settled in 1984. Griffin recorded solo and with Terry Sylvester of The Hollies and with the group Black Tie with Randy Meissner and Billy Swan, all with mixed success. His band The Remingtons had a top ten country hit in 1992 with A Long Time Ago. Bread reunited for a 25th anniversary tour in 1996. Griffin and Botts died in 2005 and Knechtel died in 2009. Gates is retired and Royer is still a Nashville songwriter. Here's Bread performing Lost Without Your Love on The Captain & Tennille Show 1977.

Big Bad Blog Video Theatre-Katja Kankaanpaa vs Simona Soukupova

Today's edition of Big Bad Blog Video Theatre is Katja Kankaanpaa vs Simona Soukupova from Botnia Punishment in Finland from a couple of weeks ago. The match was judged a split draw. So a few fans have asked me to post the fight video and analyze it to judge the judges. Judging in MMA is such a problem because on regional shows like this one a lot of judges aren't qualified to judge MMA. Katja is the undefeated Finnish fighter. I've seen a couple of her fights and she's pretty good. She got a good win over Japanese veteran VV Mei a few months ago. Simona is British. I haven't been impressed with her last couple of fights. She was trying to be a kickboxer but she wasn't very good at it. Also she is 35 years old so again age to experience level is not in her favour. I scored the fight 30-27 for Katja. I didn't even think it was that close. Simona got an armbar attempt near the end of the second round. And sometimes judges might take that out of context and give Simona the round. But Katja controlled the rest of the round and I think she showed effective ring control through the whole fight. And I give that more weight than isolated submission attempts. If Simona gets that armbar earlier in the round, that's a different story. But with thirty seconds left in the round, Katja can easily ride it out. So as some fans suspected, it was a poor decision. Check it out for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jack Johnson

Artist:Jack Johnson
Song:Flake
Album:Brushfire Fairytales





Jack Johnson was a professional surfer but he decided music is safer and he is one of today's most popular singer songwriters. Flake is from his 2001 debut CD Brushfire Fairytales and helped establish his success. He was born May 18, 1975 in North Shore, Oahu, HI. His father was professional surfer Jeff Johnson so it was not surprising when Jack Johnson began to surf as a child. As a teen, he competed in the Pipeline Masters. He also started writing songs. A surfing accident turned him in a musical direction. And he earned a degree in film at University Of California, Santa Barbara. He played clubs while attending college. Johnson directed the 2000 surfing documentary Thicker Than Water. One of his demos got the attention of Ben Harper and his producer J.P. Plunier and he produced Johnson's debut CD Brushfire Fairytales. Harper played slide guitar on Flake. Brushfire Fairytales was certified Platinum. Since then, Johnson's CDs have all reached the top of the Billboard Hot 200 and have gone either Gold or Platinum. He also wrote the soundtrack to the film 2006 film Curious George. He's constantly touring and that kind of visibility helps fans remember him. Johnson has his own record label Brushfire Records and he produces other artists along with his own CDs. His surfing buddy Donavon Frankenreiter owes his music career to Jack Johnson. Johnson's latest CD To The Sea was released in 2010 though a live CD was released April 2012. I expect we will see new music from him in 2013. Here's Jack Johnson performing Flake at the 2010 Kokua Festival. There are a few clips of Johnson performing Flake but this one is on his Vevo channel and the quality is better.Flake is one of the few songs where Johnson didn't do a concept video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brass Construction

Artist:Brass Construction
Song:Movin'
Album:Classic Masters





The funk band Brass Construction had a lot of success in the late 70s. mostly on the R & B and dance charts. Movin' was their biggest hit in 1976 and their only top 20 pop hit. Brass Construction was led by keyboard player Randy Muller. Muller was born in Guyana but grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He is a classically trained musician but he loved funk. The band was first called Dynamic Soul and then changed to Brass Construction when they signed with United Artists distributed Roadshow Records in 1975. Roadshow was owned by former Epic Records promotion man Sid Maurer. Jeff Lane produced and he also produced labelmate BT Express. Other members of Brass Construction were Larry Payton on drums, Wayne Parris and Morris Price on trumpet, Alvin Haskins and Duane Cahill on trobone, guitarist Joe Arthur-Wong, Sandy Billups on congas, Michael Grudge and Jackie Ward on sax and Wade Williamson on bass. Movin' was a marathon studio jam session. It was originally sixteen minutes long and it was cut down to eight minutes. That's the version that lit up the dance floor. A three minute version was played on the radio. It topped the R & B charts and reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Brass Construction had some other hits like Ha Cha Cha (Funktion) and L-O-V-E-U but Movin' was their biggest hit. You can get the full eight minute version of Movin' on this Capitol budget comp. They moved to Capitol when EMI bought United Artists in 1980 and a 1988 remix of Movin' charted and did very well in England. Movin' has been frequently sampled by hip hop guys since the 80s. Brass Construction continued to be active into the new millennium but I'm not sure if they are still active. Randy Muller was not part of the recent version of the group. Here's Brass Construction performing Movin' 1976.

JEWELS needs to knock off the kickboxing

So a funny thing happened in the aftermath of yesterday's JEWELS show at Shin-kiba 1st Ring. The main event was a kickboxing match AZUMA beating Korean Mi-Jeon Chan who was a late injury replacement. But when the Japanese media like Sportsnavi reported on the show, there was no mention of AZUMA or kickboxing. Instead they focused on the looks of Mika Nagano and Shizuka Sugiyama. When Yuichi Ozono bought SMACKGIRL and turned it into JEWELS, the idea was to have idols who could fight. The problem was girls they wanted to push like Nagano, Sugiyama and Saori Ishioka turned out to be mediocre fighters. Ishioka is on maternity leave but JEWELS has to try and rebuild Nagano and Sugiyama. It's a big mountain to climb. The fights the two won yesterday won't help. Nagano faced MMA newcomer Tomo Maesawa. Nagano has been yakking about how she is working on her striking. In the first round against Maesawa, she didn't show much of that. But in round two, Nagano picked it up and won with an armbar at 3:37 of round two. Sugiyama also fought an MMA newcomer in Yurika Tanaka. Sugiyama won easily and battered Tanaka at will until the fight was stopped at 1:24 of round two. Both Nagano and Sugiyama will have to beat much stiffer competition for anyone to treat them as anything other than glorified idols. Neither has shown that kind of ability in the past. In other MMA fights, the undefeated Satomi Takano won an easy unanimous decision over veteran Happy Fukuko. And Norway's Celine Haga won over anna with an armbar at 2:18 of round two. anna may be the worst female fighter in Japan. She is pathetic. The rest of the show was filler kickboxing matches and amateur kickboxing and grappling. MIZUKI won her grappling match Nanachanchin won her grappling match. Holy mackeral! She got off the schneid. Nanachanchin has never won in her ten year career. The bottom line is there are enough female kickboxing companies in Japan already. JEWELS needs to concentrate on MMA and they also need to adopt standard MMA rules. Otherwise, it's hard to take them seriously.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Small Faces

Artist:Small Faces
Song:Itchycoo Park
Album:Ultimate Collection





Itchycoo Park is the best known song and the biggest hit for the British group Small Faces. They had success in England but Itchycoo Park was their only hit in the US. The band was adversely affected by management problems. Lead singer and guitarist Steve Marriott performed as a child and played The Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver! in 1960. But he preferred music and released a single in 1963 and led his band The Moments. He was fired in 1964 because the band thought he was too young to be a lead singer. Marriott met bassist Ronnie Lane when Lane came into the music store where Marriott was working to buy a bass guitar. Marriott invited Lane and friend drummer Kenney Jones to his home to jam. Marriott brought in his keyboard player friend Jimmy Winston and Small Faces was born. The band name was to appeal to the Mods in London. Initially they played R & B covers and they were spotted by manager Don Arden and he got them a contract with Decca. They had mixed success and Arden worked them way too hard sometimes booking them three gigs a night. Then Winston was fired and replaced by Ian McLagan. Winston wanted to write songs and sing. The rest of the band said no. The group had success with hits like Sha-La-La-La-Lee and All Or Nothing and they were about to tour the US. But Ian McLagan was busted for drugs and they split with Arden. Small Faces signed with former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and his label Immediate. They worked with veteran recording engineer Glyn Johns. When Itchycoo Park was released, it got the attention of Columbia Records and they released the album There Are But Four Small Faces in the US. The song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. There is no Itchycoo Park. Lane based it on his memories of a park he used to go to that had nettles so he was itchy all the time. The 1968 album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake was hailed as a masterpiece and it also came in a round album cover resembling a tobacco tin. But Marriott realized he couldn't perform the music live and he quit Small Faces during a 1968 New Year's Eve show. Marriott formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. They had some success in the early 70s but faded and split in 1975. The rest of the band brought in Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood of The Jeff Back Group. They signed with Warner Bros. and changed the band name to Faces. They had some success but of course they became Stewart's band when he became a solo star. Faces split up in 1974. Small Faces reunited in 1975 and recorded two unsuccessful albums. Ronnie Lane was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He died in 1997. Steve Marriott's career floundered until his death in a house fire in 1991. Kenney Jones joined The Who after Keith Moon died. For years the Small Faces recordings were mired in legal issues but Sanctuary Records got that straightened out and released this 2CD comp that is worth getting. It has Decca and Immediate recordings. Small Faces were a very underrated band. Here is Small Faces performing Itchycoo Park on the German TV show Beat Club 1967.

Is Beth Phoenix leaving the WWE?

Yesterday it was reported by The Wrestling Observer and PW Insider that Beth Phoenix gave her notice to the WWE and will leave next month. This was obviously leaked by a WWE employee who was quoted as saying that Beth has been "going through the motions" and they weren't surprised by this. Those of us who recall last year's CM Punk leaving the WWE angle are justifiably suspicious as it could be a setup for a similar angle. And even if it isn't, the WWE still has a month to convince Beth to stay. My gut instinct says she will probably stay. I can understand why she would be annoyed with the WWE. They have completely dropped the ball with Beth. Last year, they started the wrestlers destroying models angle known as Divas Of Doom. This could have made Beth a huge star. But they stupidly dropped the angle and wouldn't let Beth win the WWE Divas Championship in her home town of Buffalo. I'm sure that upset her. Since then, they have jobbed her out to models on a regular basis and even had her do a phony injury angle instead of having her destroy The Bella Twins when they left. The problem with Beth leaving the WWE is she can't make WWE money anywhere else. Some might suggest she could go to TNA but their women's division isn't any better than the WWE's women's division and TNA contracts aren't guaranteed. There are other options but the bottom line is WWE contracts have guaranteed minimums. So if the WWE can convince her that they would use her better, I would expect her to stay there. What about MMA? It's an intriguing option and Beth does have an amateur wrestling background. But Beth is 31 so she's getting a little old to try something new. Too bad that option wasn't available when she started ten years ago. Beth has said nothing yet so I think negotiations are ongoing. Time will tell.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Simple Minds

Artist:Simple Minds
Song:Don't You (Forget About Me)
Album:The Breakfast Club: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack




The Scottish band Simple Minds had their only US number one hit with Don't You (Forget About Me) from the 1985 hit film The Breakfast Club. They had a couple of other hits including the top five hit Alive and Kicking. But most fans probably first heard the band in The Breakfast Club. The two main guys behind Simple Minds are lead singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill. They were childhood pals in Glasgow. In 1977, they joined the punk band Johnny & The Self Abusers led by John Milarky. Kerr and Burchill brought in pals Tony Donald on bass and Brian McGee on drums. After playing a few shows, Kerr wanted more input into the music. When Milarkey refused, Kerr and his buddies left to form Simple Minds. Milarky's pal guitarist Alan MacNeil also joined Simple Minds. They signed with Arista and released their debut album Life In A Day in 1979. Simple Minds' sound was heavily influenced by Roxy Music. After three disappointing albums, Simple Minds left Arista for Virgin. Opening for Peter Gabriel got them a US deal with A & M. They did well in England but had trouble breaking through in the US. Don't You (Forget About Me) was written by The Breakfast Club music producer Keith Forsey and guitarist Steve Schiff from Nina Hagen's band. The song had already been turned down by The Fixx lead singer Cy Curnin, Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol. Kerr didn't want to record it either but A & M convinced them it could break them in the US market. And it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. Kerr always downplayed the success of the song because of course he didn't write it. They deliberately left it off the 1985 album Once Upon A Time. The top five hit Alive and Kicking was on that album along with lesser hit singles Sanctify Yourself and All The Things She Said. It was their most successful album to date. But it was too commercial and alienated fans of their early albums. This led to a slow decline though they were still popular in England. The decline accelerated when Alan MacNeil left Simple Minds in 1989. By the time Virgin dropped them in 1995, Simple Minds was just Kerr and Burchill using session musicians. They are still around and are currently recording new music to be released in 2013. I suspect most folks are only familiar with Don't You (Forget About Me) and The Breakfast Club soundtrack is cheap. Here's the video for Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Eurythmics

Artist:Eurythmics
Song:Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
Album:Ultimate Collection





Sweet Dreams was the breakthrough single and the only US number one hit for the British duo Eurythmics in 1983. They had three top five hits in the US but were more successful in England. The duo behind Eurythmics were singer Annie Lennox and musical jack of all trades Dave Stewart. In the early 70s, Dave Stewart was a member of the folk rock group Longdancer. They were signed to Elton John's Rocket Records but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Annie Lennox was studying flute and classical music at the Royal Academy of Music. The two met in 1975 at a restaurant where Annie was waitressing. After they began a romantic relationship, the two formed The Tourists with guitarist Peet Coombes. The Tourists were a conventional new wave band. They recorded three albums and had a top ten hit in England with their cover of Dusty Springfield's I Only Want To Be With You in 1979. Coombes wrote most of the songs and Stewart wanted more creative input. This led to the band split in 1980. Soon after, Coombes quit the music business. Stewart and Lennox had ended their romantic relationship but decided to continue their musical partnership and use session musicians. They signed with RCA Records and recorded the Eurythmics debut album In The Garden in Germany with musicians like Holger Czukay and and Jaki Liebezeit of electronic music pioneers Can. The album was not successful but the German musicians encouraged Stewart to use more electronic keyboards. Stewart produced the 1983 album Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) with session guitarist Robert Crash and bassist Adam Williams formerly of The Selecter. The single Sweet Dreams topped the Billboard Hot 100. Supposedly Stewart came up with the brooding keyboard riffs while fooling around in the studio. The song is one verse repeated over three minutes so there's not much to it. But the video went into heavy rotation on MTV and folks liked it and bought the record. The Eurythmics albums were consistent sellers but Here Comes The Rain Again and Would I Lie To You? were their only other US top five hits. I think their videos drove record sales but not radio play. They split up after the 1989 album We Too Are One. You can get all their hits on this budget comp.Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox have both had successful solo careers and Stewart has had a lot of success as a producer. The Eurythmics reunited for the 1999 CD Peace and both returned to solo careers. Here's the video for Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by The Eurythmics.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Gentrys

Artist:The Gentrys
Song:Keep On Dancing
Album:Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios





Because I know a lot about music and also pro wrestling, I am always asked if legendary WWF manager Jimmy "Mouth Of The South" Hart had a hit record in the 60s. The answer is yes. He was a member of The Gentrys and they had a top five hit with Keep On Dancing in 1965. The Gentrys were formed in 1963 at Treadwell High School in Memphis. The lead singer and guitarist was Larry Raspberry. The other members were Jimmy Hart and Bruce Bowles on vocals, Bobby Fisher on sax, Jimmy Johnson on trumpet, Larry Butler on keyboards, Pat Neal on bass and Larry Wall on drums. The other key figure in The Gentrys was veteran producer Lincoln "Chips" Moman. Moman worked at Stax in the early years and left in 1964 to start the recording studio American Studios. Keep On Dancing was written by William Young and he recorded it as The Avantis in 1963. This is not to be confused with the instrumental rock group The Avantis led by the Vegas brothers who would later become famous as Redbone. It looks like Young bounced around a lot of Memphis R & B groups. The Avantis was Young backed by Memphis studio musicians. So Moman was recording The Gentrys and he thought Keep On Dancing would be a good song for them. The record was picked up by MGM Records for national distribution and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Raspberry sings the lead vocal. Most of The Gentrys quit to get real jobs in 1966. You can get Keep On Dancing on this Ace Records various artists comp. Hart reformed The Gentrys with different musicians in 1969. They recorded for Sun Records and then Capitol with Sam Phillips' son Knox Phillips producing. They did chart in 1969 with a cover of Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl.  Hart wrote most of the songs for that version of The Gentrys. Hart went on to be a pro wrestling manager for Memphis Wrestling, the WWF in the 80s and WCW in the 90s. He even recorded an album in the 80s. He is still involved in pro wrestling today. Larry Raspberry and the Highsteppers were very popular in Memphis clubs in the 70s. But they never got a break. Their one album on the Stax label Enterprise died when Stax went bankrupt. Raspberry is a local legend in Memphis. Here are The Gentrys performing Keep On Dancing on Shindig 1965.