Rob Braithwaite's 2018 Music Compilation

Here are the songs I’ve chosen to represent how I spent my 2018 music fund.

“Music Box Theme”
Howard Blake
The Changeling (soundtrack)

The Changeling is my favorite horror movie. It got the blu-ray treatment this year, and with it came the soundtrack. It’s pretty great, too.

“Hate and Control”
Bully
Losing

I’m a big fan of the extended opening.

“Death Camp Fantasy”
Hot Snakes
Jericho Sirens

Person: What’s your favorite band?
Me: uh, which band is John Reis in now?
Person: Hot Snakes.
Me: Hot Snakes.

“You Can Have Alonetime When You’re Dead”
Remember Sports
Slow Buzz

If it pops and it rocks, it works for me.

Remember Sports plays an all-ages show at Ace of Cups January 3rd.

“Oyahytt (featuring Lakeith Stanfield)”
The Coup
Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack

A great lead track for a soundtrack of one of the most nuts movies I’ve seen in a while.

“Apostrophe’”
Frank Zappa
Apostrophe (‘)

Having seen Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words two years ago and read The Real Frank Zappa Book this year, I was ready for a serious sampling of his massive catalog. I asked the friend who saw the movie with me and gave the book for a starter compilation and an album suggestion. Knowing me, he suggested listening to Apostrophe (‘) and/or Over-Nite Sensation while he thought about how to tackle my cuts request. The title track of Apostrophe (‘) was an instant favorite. I imagine it as the soundtrack for a very extended opening credit sequence for Barney Miller.

Spang’s Frank Zappa Starter Kit (runtime: 32 minutes):
01 “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama” - The Mothers of Invention - Weasels Ripped My Flesh
02 “Peaches en Regalia” - Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
03 “Village of the Sun” - Frank Zappa & The Mothers - Roxy & Elsewhere
04 “G-Spot” Tornado” - Frank Zappa - The Yellow Shark
05 “Watermelon in Easter Hay” - Frank Zappa - Joe’s Garage: Acts I, II & III
06 “Any Way the Wind Blows” - The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
07 “Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance” - The Mothers of Invention - We’re Only in It for the Money
08 “Electric Aunt Jemima” - The Mothers of Invention- Uncle Meat

“Boys in a Better Land”
Fontaines D.C.
single

IDLES will tour the U.S. again in 2019 and Fontaines D.C. will open. Do not miss this show. Fontaines D.C. are fine. They will make a good addition to the best concert of the year.

“You Only Live Twice”
Beulahbelle
Tully (soundtrack)

A pretty cover of one of the best James Bond songs. It’s a prefect selection for Tully.

“Birthday Cake”
Slothrust
The Pact

TV introduced me to Slothrust. Their song “7:30 A.M.” is used for the opening credits of You’re the Worst (final season start January 9th). I love Slothrust so much that I saw them at The Basement, Columbus’ worst music venue. There were several songs from the album I could have put on this compilation, but I liked how this one sounds after “You Only Live Twice.”

“Talk of the Town”
Elle King
Shake the Spirit

An album with so many styles shouldn’t work. This is the second time Elle King proved that it can.

“I’m Scum”
IDLES
Joy as an Act of Resistance

The albums are great. The live show is amazing. Seriously. They will be on tour in 2019. GO. SEE. THEM.

“Beating My Head Against a Wall”
Jeff Rosenstock
POST-

It pops. It rocks.

“Bang Someone Out”
Sleaford Mods
EP

So I was hanging in Oslo and my Norwegian cousin says to me, “Vil du se Sleaford Mods i Göteborg?” Then I said, “What?” Soon we were on our way to see Sleaford Mods in Göteborg, Sweden.

Two guys, a laptop and a microphone. It’s not quite hip hop. It’s not exactly punk. It was fascinating to watch and one of the best concerts I’ve seen.

If you can, get your eyes on the band’s documentary, Bunch of Kunst. It captured the band at a perfect moment and the last fifteen minutes or so is Rock Doc Hall of Fame material.

“Tester”
Hinds
I Don’t Run

The English-as-a-second-language vocals give the super catchy songs a added flavor.

“Cut Stranger”
J Mascis
Elastic Days

Unlike a box of chocolates, I always know what I’m going to get with a J Mascis/Dinosaur Jr album. Few artists can get away with such a thing for so long (see also: AC/DC).

“Our Work Is Done”
Superchunk
single

Not only was it a surprise Superchunk came to town this year but they go and drop a single before the year is through. [happy monkey emoji]

Happy Listening in 2019,
- rob.

Rob watches movies and listens to music and writes stuff. He once watched 365 movies in one year and wrote about each one. Click here to check it out.

Five Albums That Changed My Life - by Wal Ozello

We’ve had an ongoing feature here on Pencilstorm with the contributors sharing albums that changed their lives. When I sat down to work on this assignment, it became quickly apparent to me that I had a short list. I listen to a lot of music… different genres, artists, decades… you name it, I’ve listened to it. But here we’re talking about albums… WHOLE albums… that changed the direction of my life in a totally different course. That list is only five for me.

My list begins with my first rock album - Bat Out of Hell by Meatloaf. I was around 10 years old. Until this album I was stuck listening to my mom’s easy listening stuff and my dad’s classical stuff. My older brothers had not done their job, yet, to gift me the education of rock that I needed and unknowingly yearned for. One of my sisters was listening to that pop-ish REO Speedwagon, Billy Joel or (gag) Air Supply. But somehow I got my hands on my other sister’s Bat Out of Hell album. From the first power chord and the subsequent piano riff, my rock n roll innards screamed out “YES! MORE! MORE! MORE!” What I discovered from this album is that I loved my rock n roll with a heavy dose of DRAMA. It needed to be more than just a few power chords, catchy tune and clever lyrics. It needed to explode off the vinyl and hit me in a way that knocked the hell out of me. I listened to the album so much that I can still hear the skips I put in the vinyl… and I put in many. (I was 10 and did not know how to properly take care of an album. Please forgive me, Scott Carr.) What I never realized at the time is that this desire for drama would permeate into everything I do. At first it was my songwriting, then it was my other artwork - movies and books. Soon it was my personality and lifestyle. Bat Out of Hell shaped me and who I was beyond the music fan. It shaped me as a human being.

As I got older my brothers finally started my musical education, but instead of moving forward in time we kind of worked backwards. There was heavy doses of Yes, The Grateful Dead, Genesis and The Police from my brother Jim and more mainstream rock from my brother Tom, with The Eagles and Steve Miller Band. But the next album to change my life was Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen & The E. Street Band. Talk about drama. The stories in these songs were full of them. Thunder Road. Backstreets. Born To Run. Jungleland. Every track on this album is damn near perfect and I could listen to the whole album forever. But that sax solo in Jungleland. Wow. A work of art. I remember listening to that sax solo and opening up the album cover staring at The Big Man, Clarence Clemons, with that brassy tenor sax hanging from neck. I wanted to be Clarence Clemons soooo bad. Imagine that for a moment. Here I was, a skin & bones geeky white boy about 13 years old, 100 pounds wet, 4 foot 9 with plastic rimmed pop-bottle glasses, desperately wanting to be an ebony-skinned, 6 foot 5 black man. That’s what his sax solo did to me. A year later my dad bought me a Tenor Saxophone and I became a musician. One of the best things that ever happened to me.

My journey in the world of drama continued, this time with a healthy dose of art to go with it. It was my angst-filled emotional teenage years and the first album that defined my high school years was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Yeah, I know that it was released years before I discovered it, but when I found it I was… blown.. a… way. Until I listened to this masterpiece, I never knew that rock & roll could be an artwork. This album is magical and tells the story of one person’s life through not just one disc… but two! This isn’t just a concept album, this is work of art. The Mona Lisa. The Sistine Chapel. The Vitruvian Man. Beethoven’s Fifth. The Wall. This album changed my approach to EVERYTHING. I realized art can be infused everywhere: that everything can have a deeper meaning, layers beyond layers and that humanity can be expressed in the simplest of ways… even through a rock and roll song. After this album, I tried to have even the smallest things in my life have a deeper meaning. It became a blessing and a curse.

The second album of my high school years to change my life was a contemporary album instead of one released years before. It was 1987 and I was going into my Junior year. We didn’t have a big life event to define our generation. The Sixties had Vietnam. The Seventies had Watergate and cocaine. The Eighties had nothing. We were filled with rage but had nothing to rage against. So when Guns N Roses’ Appetite For Destruction hit the airwaves it came on like a freight train you jumped on and rode with wanton abandon. This was my generation’s album. It oozed that Eighties Bravado that defined my generation - led by front man Axl Rose. Axl opened a door for me that I’m ever so grateful for. Before Axl, all the hairband singers were average and anyone with a decent singing voice could pull off covering their music. But Axl had talent, range and passion. It took a singer that could hit the high notes with a set of angry balls. Thankfully, that was me. I finally had an honored place among my own brethren because I could pull off Axl in a way no others could. I put down my saxophone and picked up a microphone. From then on I was a lead singer, fronting bands and covering stuff like Guns N Roses, Rush and Journey with the bravado of Axl Rose. Changed my life forever. Thirty years later, I still consider myself a lead singer.

Which leads me to my final album. If you’ve heard of it, I’m very grateful because it’s mine. In May of 1991, as part of Armada we released the CD Don’t Give Up The Ship. Understand this was back when independent CD releases were rare. The only other people I knew of during that time who did it was Watershed and the guys from Shock Tu. It was a big accomplishment of my life. To be in a studio, record your music, craft the tracks and then sell physical copies of your music is an experience that is just mind- blowing. Every now and then a visitor will look through my CD collection and ask, “Who’s Armada?” (I file my CDs alphabetically and it’s usually the first one they see.) I always open it up and show them the picture of me with my long hair. Sometimes they make me play something off of it. This album changed me forever. It bonded me to three other guys that are like blood brothers but it also gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I created something special and it proved to me that I could continue to do amazing things throughout my life. Unfortunately, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana came out the same year and if there was a sixth album that changed my life forever that would be it, but in a bad way. It ushered in the Grunge music era and by that time no one wanted the high tenor voice that was adored during the Appetite For Destruction era just four years earlier. My career as a lead singer came to a screeching halt as Eddie Vedder mumbled out “Son, she said, have I got a little story for you…” Thank God I went to film school and had a back-up career planned as a Hollywood filmmaker. (Which didn’t happen, either.)

I find it fascinating how music can change our lives forever. It’s more than a soundtrack of our lives. Music is an inspiration, a friend to lean on, a guide and support system, all in one. If anyone ever tells you they don’t need an artist, they’re lying to you. People need musicians and artists like they need air. They help us define and celebrate our humanity in ways no other professions can. The next time you’re walking down the street and a musician is playing on the corner, toss some money into their gig case and thank them. And the next time some one tells you they don’t need an artist, call bullshit.

Thanks for reading about my five albums.

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's the lead singer of the former Columbus rock band Armada. His film work includes directing Dad Can’t Help You Now by Colin Gawel.

Ten Albums That Changed My Life - by Jim Hutter

(The response to the Ten Albums That Changed my Life series launched by our VA. correspondent JCE last month has been brisk to say the least. So much so that the Pencilstorm Editorial Board has decided to make it our regular “Sunday New York Times” prestige feature. This is the fourth installment, following Ricki C’s picks, Anne Marie’s entry, and JCE’s kick-off to the series before that. Future entries will feature Wal Ozello, Pete Vogel, and Jon Peterson, among others Stay tuned.)

1. Meet The Beatles: During the winter of 1973, I was an eight-year-old kid in second grade. I barely gave pop music a thought. My older brother had just landed his first job out of high school. With a weekly paycheck, he decided to replace his battered monaural Beatles albums with clean stereo copies. Not having the heart to throw them away, he gave them to me. My very first was “Meet The Beatles.” I absolutely loved the twangy guitar intro to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and was captivated by the tight harmonies and sheer enthusiasm. After about a half-dozen spins, I loved all 12 songs and hungered for more by this recently defunct band.

2. Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy – The Who: After receiving those worn but beloved Beatles albums, I started to see my older brother as some kind of “King Cool.” I began paying attention to his record collection and was drawn to this strange group called The Who. My first exposure was a greatest hits collection called “Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy.” The songs were as catchy and exuberant as The Beatles, but much more aggressive. Their lyrics were quite quirky, with songs about spiders, magical buses, pinball wizards, and racy French postcards. Even though I was still a young schoolboy, The Who laid the foundation for my adolescence. More about that later.

3. The Beatles Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962: How could a badly-recorded and sloppily-played live album be life-changing? Call it an “attractive irritant,” but I could not stop listening to the raw recordings of The Beatles in Hamburg. Not only did the performance have all the exuberance of The Fabs’ early singles, but there was also a menacing and dirty quality. There was something undeniably powerful and honest about two guitars, a bass, drums, and three voices putting it on the line before a roughneck German audience. This raw and primitive Rock ‘n’ Roll band touched me much more deeply than their later and more complex compositions. John Lennon’s rhythm guitar ground like a chainsaw. Just who were these Punks? Looking at a distant past, I could see the future.

4. 12 x 5 - The Rolling Stones: By the time I was 14, I had learned “The Birds and the Bees” and was starting to take an interest in the opposite sex. Beforehand, I had tried to listen to my older brother’s Rolling Stones albums, but they struck me cold. Now, feeling stirrings of adolescent lust, Mick Jagger’s leering voice reflected my own libido. I finally felt the sensual rhythms of The Blues, and The Rolling Stones’ second American album effectively broke my “blues cherry.” Could this be another gateway to a new world? I would soon find out.

5. Historic Performances Recorded at The Monterey International Pop Festival - Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding: The most regrettable part of my childhood was being raised in a racist household. My father was a real-life Archie Bunker, constantly spewing jaundiced views of minorities. Whenever an African-American musician was on radio or television, the bigoted comments flew unabated. Subconsciously, this made me think that Soul Music was “not for me,” so I tended to ignore it. That all changed when I heard the sides of Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding at The Monterey Pop Festival. Between the two, I was most profoundly affected by Otis Redding. The impassioned vocals and crack band made me feel the energy and excitement. Those complex Memphis bass lines cast magical spells upon my feet and fingertips. I finally understood where The Rolling Stones drew inspiration. I have considered myself an “old school” Soul fan ever since.

6. All Mod Cons - The Jam: By now, you have probably noticed that my life-changing albums were recorded prior to 1968. By the time I was in eighth grade, I realized that old music was not “cool” with my peers. I hungered for something new, but with the same simplicity of pre-1967. My wishes were granted when I finally heard The Jam’s “All Mod Cons” in early 1979. I could not believe how much The Jam echoed the stripped-down aggression of the early Who and Kinks yet sounded completely modern. Although I did not fully realize it at the time, The Jam were my gateway drug into Punk (enter The Clash and Sex Pistols). This was the beginning of the end of the squeaky-clean honor student and my gradual rebirth as a Post-Punk rebel. Thank God!

7. Parallel Lines - Blondie: Even though I was fairly “girl crazy” at 15, it wasn’t reflected in my male-dominated musical tastes. The sad reality was lack of exposure. Listening to Top 40 Pop, I was only aware of orchestrated middle-of-the-road divas or twee folkies. The only female singer that I genuinely liked was Linda Ronstadt, thanks mainly to her mid-seventies covers of early Rock ‘n’ Roll hits. That all changed when I saw Blondie on “Midnight Special.” Not only did I find Debbie Harry unbelievably sexy, but she rocked! Their breakthrough album, “Parallel Lines” cemented the idea of women rocking as hard as men and doing it on their own terms. Years later, I would very enthusiastically play alongside the likes of Liz Hecker, Cathy Lopienski, and Carolyn O’Leary, thanking Blondie for opening my heart to women who rock.

8. The Specials: Shortly after discovering The Jam and Blondie, I became obsessed with this whole concept of “New Wave.” It really did seem like Rock was returning to the simplicity of pre-1967. Amid more standard rockers, The Specials came from left-field and took me completely by surprise. I had never heard Ska before but became absolutely smitten after seeing the multi-racial band’s amphetamine-inspired performance on “Saturday Night Live.” Hearing their debut album, I loved the high-energy Caribbean sounds preaching racial harmony. For about a year, much to the consternation of my Hard Rock-loving classmates, I became a “Rude Boy,” decked out in sharkskin suits, skinny ties, suedehead haircut, and an attitude. The straight-A goody two-shoes was gone, and I was much happier for it.

9. Scary Monsters - David Bowie: I had been aware of David Bowie since I was about nine years old, but found him frightening. His androgynous Ziggy Stardust guise came across as creepy and alien. I thought there was no way I could relate to the music of a man who wore makeup and sequins. Turning 16 and discovering Punk and early Synth-Pop, Bowie’s persona no longer frightened but intrigued. Hearing “Scary Monsters” for the very first time, songs like “Ashes to Ashes” made me realize exactly who inspired Punk and Synth-Pop in the first place. Exploring Bowie’s earlier music, not only did I come to love it, but many of his Glam Rock peers as well. I could not imagine myself playing in Punk-inspired bands without an appreciation of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, T-Rex, New York Dolls, and of course, David Bowie.

10. Road to Ruin - Ramones: I had seen The Ramones on “Sha Na Na” in 1979 but was underwhelmed. Compared to the corny Doo-Wop of Bowzer and company, the younger group sounded like a very conventional Hard Rock band. Gradually, positive word-of-mouth got around, so I decided to gamble. I spent my hard-earned $2.98 for a cut-out cassette of “Road to Ruin,” and never looked back. There was something mesmerizing about Johnny Ramone’s grinding guitar and Joey’s catchy sloganeering. The dark humor - mocking cretins, teenaged glue-sniffers, and Nazis - tickled my funny bone without ever sounding like crass novelty tunes. The Ramones rapidly became one of my “Top Two” bands. Their music helped me cope with an incredibly unhappy college life. While at college, I met former members of The Jetboys, and we bonded over our mutual love of The Ramones. Their friendship helped me understand how to form a band and draw up my blueprint for the future.

New Willie Phoenix Fanpage and He is Playing Saturday, December 8th After CBJ

Pencilstorm Hall of Fame member and rock n roll legend Willie Phoenix will be playing at the A&R Music Bar (391 Neil Ave) following the Columbus Blue Jackets game Saturday, December 8th. Tickets are $8 at the door, or free with CBJ ticket stub.

Also - please check out Shadowlords - the Willie Phoenix Fanpages on Facebook. It’s the gathering place for Willie fans to share all their Willie pictures, stories and music. If you have trouble finding it we have the link on the front page of Pencilstorm.

Please Add "Still Love Christmas" to Your Holiday Playlist - by Colin Gawel

Next time your are on Spotify or Youtube or wherever you stream music, it would be a big help if you could add my song “Still Love Christmas” to your holiday mix tape. That way all those fancy computers can start suggesting it to other folks streaming holiday music. Of course, you can still request it on the radio or watch the video over & over, but adding it to your Spotify mix is a great way to help the song find fresh ears.

And if you want to hear it live we will be playing it Sunday, December 23rd at our annual Christmas Eve Eve show at Woodland’s Tavern in Columbus, OH.

Thanks in advance. - Colin G.

The title song to Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones' December 2010 release. We shot the video at the "Still Love Christmas" release party at Rumba Cafe in Columbus, OH. COLINGAWEL.com

Ten Albums That Changed My Life, part one, 1964-1973 - by Ricki C.

(The response to the Ten Albums That Changed my Life series launched by our VA. correspondent JCE three weeks ago has been brisk to say the least. So much so that the Pencilstorm Editorial Board has decided to make it our regular “Sunday New York Times” prestige feature. This is the third installment, following Anne Marie’s entry last Sunday and JCE’s kick-off to the series before that. Ricki C. is up for the third round. Future entries will feature Wal Ozello, Jim Hutter & Pete Vogel. Stay tuned.)

THE DAVE CLARK 5 / Glad All Over

From the ages of zero to 12 years old, all I cared about in life was comic books and World War II. (Comic books ABOUT World War II like Our Army at War, featuring Sgt. Rock of Easy Company, were – needless to say – particular favorites, but Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men and Daredevil all played a HUGE role in my character development.) Then, when I was 12 in 1964 The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and Everything Changed. Rock & roll largely became my Reason For Existence, and quite literally saved my life on at least one occasion. (see The Bathtub, Growing Old With Rock & Roll.) Oddly, I was never all that crazy about The Beatles, but I dearly LOVED The Dave Clark 5, who appeared on Ed Sullivan the week AFTER The Beatles’ inaugural three-week run.

I got this album as a present for Christmas in December 1964. It was all I asked for, and all I wanted. (I probably got some shirts & socks & underwear too, but I really don’t remember.) I had bought 45 rpm singles up ‘til then, but this was my first album, and I love it to this day. Did this launch my love of bands wearing “uniforms” that has lasted up until this very moment, and was last manifested by The White Stripes in the early 2000’s? Probably.

THE MC5 Kick Out The Jams / JONI MITCHELL Clouds

Both of these records were released in early 1969, when I was 17, and neatly delineate the next segment of my Rock & Roll Upbringing. These were the records that turned me and my working-class-West-Side-of-Columbus-Ohio friends into Teen Hippies. They couldn’t have been more different: The MC5 is probably the greatest, most outrageous, LOUDEST live rock & roll record of all time, beaten out as the BEST live record of all time only by The Who’s masterful Live At Leeds (but only in the DELUXE CD edition, issued belatedly in the 21st century.) Live At Leeds edges Kick Out The Jams only because The Who had better songs, but when I listen to the MC5 record it makes me wanna BREAK STUFF – even at my advanced age of 66 – and The Who just makes me wanna mimic Pete Townshend air-guitar windmills & appreciate the craft.

The Joni Mitchell record boasts SUPERIOR lyric-writing & is simply just lovely and the dichotomy of me enjoying it AND The MC5 exactly the same amount has exemplified what my tastes in rock & roll have been ever since the 1960’s. Richard & Linda Thompson AND The Clash in the 1970’s; Suzanne Vega AND The Replacements in the 1980’s; Shawn Colvin AND The Mekons in the 1990’s; Mary Lou Lord AND The Strokes in the 2000’s are prime examples of the continuation of that split personality in my tastes. Is Ian Hunter – first with Mott The Hoople, later solo AND active to this day – the best merging of those two poles: great poetic lyrics crossed with bone-crushing rock & roll? Probably.

THE NEW YORK DOLLS / self-titled first album

By early 1973 rock & roll music had been largely Allman Brothers-ized and James Taylor-ized into an unappetizing form of pabulum hard to stomach for anybody raised on quality rock & roll like The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Turtles and The Left Banke. My two favorite “rock bands” in 1972 were probably The Eagles and Loggins & Messina, and THAT might be the saddest rock & roll sentence I have ever typed. Then I discovered Creem magazine at the corner drugstore by the parking lot at Doctor’s North Hospital where I worked all through the time I attended Ohio State University. Creem became my Rock & Roll Bible, Holy Grail & Koran/Talmud, all rolled into one. Lester Bangs, Ben Edmonds & Lisa Robinson said, “JUMP!” and I asked, “How high?” Creem said, “Buy The New York Dolls,” and I complied.

From the very first Johnny Thunders buzzsaw chords and yowls from David Johansen in “Personality Crisis” that SEARED out of my cheap-ass record player, I was IN LOVE, Jack! Here was everything I had missed/forgotten/been cheated of in rock & roll since Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Yes, America and Seals & Croft had drained/sapped/sucked/vampired the lifeblood out of my Second Love.

It’s one of my most-repeated Smartass One-Liners about rock & roll, and people who know me well are sick of it by now, but it’s germane here: If it wasn’t for The New York Dolls I would be a Deadhead today, with grey hair in a ponytail halfway down my back. I can’t think of any better way to exemplify HOW MUCH this record changed my life than the two photographs below………

ELLIOTT MURPHY / Aquashow

Quite simply: my favorite record of all time, my favorite singer/songwriter of all time, and – true to the IDEA of this piece – a record that literally Changed The Way I View The World. From the very first verse of the first song on the record – “Last Of The Rock Stars” – when Murphy sang, “I’ve got a feeling on my back like an old, brown jacket / I’d like to stay in school but I just can’t hack it.” THE SAME WEEK I dropped out of college and got on with Making My Way in the World to the second song – “How’s The Family” – when he sang, “And the cold, cold ballerina whose thoughts of love & life / Have split her down the middle ‘til she’s cracked like walked-on ice,” Elliott became my new Dylan, Byron, Shelley, Keats and F. Scott Fitzgerald all rolled into one, and packed a rosewood Stratocaster and a white suit to boot.

In case you’re interested, much more on Murphy linked here - On Elliott Murphy’s Birthday - from my former blog, Growing Old With Rock & Roll.

Ricki C. will return with five more life-changing albums at a later date…….