Enlightnin'ment: All About Lou Christie

Over the past couple of weeks, I've just been enthralled by Lou Christie. Yeah, I'd heard of him before when I was introduced to such songs as "Two Faces Have I", "Lightnin' Strikes" and "The Gypsy Cried". I liked how high his voice got on all of the songs...it reminded me of Frankie Valli a lot. On YouTube, I came across this old music video for "I'm Gonna Make You Mine", which I'll admit I had heard before, somewhere, but it wasn't that familiar to me. So I watched it, didn't think much of it and went on with my life. Next day, I found myself humming the stupid song!

So I watched it some more and more. Present day, and I'm hooked. I just love the simplicity of the "music video". The video quality is very poor. They're dancing in front of a hotel pool, not moving from their spots. He's wearing tight pants, obviously lip-synching really awfully, and there's a crazy lady over to the far left of the screen. Who she is, I don't know. Someone posted on the YouTube page an apparent funny story about her, but I could never find it. (Anyone, if you find it, send it my way!)

This second video is a promo for the song made by the record company. It's also poorly made, but Lou isn't too bad to look at. First off, the setting of the video: a scrap yard? Thinking of the lyrics, what does a scrap yard have to do with anything? Secondly, Lou's lip synching is out of synch, several times. But oh well, just go with it.


So the latest thing I'm obsessed with about him is his dirty song "Rhapsody in the Rain". I heard it on the XM 60's channel the other day and since then I've looked all over the place trying to download it. (iTunes only carries the live version where Lou talks about the controversy of the song.) Thank you library!

So, what's the controversy you say?

According to Christie, the original lyrics were changed from: "We were makin' out in the rain" to "We fell in love in the rain" and "In this car, we went too far" to "Our love came like a falling star."

The Catholic Church helped get this banned on many radio stations, which only made people want to hear it more (You'd think they'd have learned after banning Gary U.S. Bonds' "Quarter To Three"). It's mild by today's standards, but a hot topic back when you didn't sing about "Makin' love in the storm" with a teenage girl.

Christie (in Goldmine magazine): "I had priests and nuns calling to complain. Even Time magazine did an article on it, saying I was corrupting the youth."

The music was based on Tchaikovsky's "Romeo And Juliet."

Another interesting note about this song is that The Tammys, who did the background vocals on this and most Lou Christie songs, had a sexually suggestive song of their own in 1964, two years prior to this song, called Egyptian Shumba, which had lines like "Lets lie on the Nile, and dance Egyptian-style.

Released in the spring of 1966, "Rhapsody In The Rain" told of a teenager's regret over his sexual experience in the back seat of a car during a rainstorm as the windshield wipers made a rhythmic sound of "together, together". Later after the romance ends, the wipers seem to say "never, never". Many radio stations banned the song, and MGM insisted on a re-recorded version that toned down the lyrical content. Despite the edited version, many stations instead played two older songs re-released by other labels Christie had once recorded for: "Outside the Gates of Heaven" (on Co & Ce Records, a successor to C&C) peaked at #45, while "Big Time" (on Colpix Records) managed to hit #95. All three singles hit the U.S. charts within three weeks of one another, in March 1966. Whether it was the controversial lyrics or competition from the other singles released simultaneously, "Rhapsody" only managed to hit #16 in the U.S. and #37 in the UK.

Okay, so you wanna hear it?

The Beatles: Rock Band

Click this link to watch a trailer for The Beatles: Rock Band



Release Date: 9/9/09

Fanthology

BEST MOTOWN SONG OF ALL TIME?

According to the Motown website, "My Girl" was voted by fans as their all-time favorite song on the Motown label. A poll was held over the summer to see which song would take the prize. This event was just publicity for their Motown 50 Fanthology CD set, which is dropping September 1.

Here are the other winners:
1. “My Girl” – The Temptations
2. “What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
3. “Let’s Get It On” – Marvin Gaye
4. “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” – The Temptations
5. “The Tracks Of My Tears” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
6. “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
7. “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” – Marvin Gaye
8. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
9. “ABC” – Jackson 5
10. “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” – The Temptations

And if you're interested in the special CD set coming out soon, here are the track listings:

Disc 1
1. “My Girl” – The Temptations
2. “What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
3. “Let’s Get It On” – Marvin Gaye
4. “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” – The Temptations
5. “The Tracks Of My Tears” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
6. “Superstition” – Stevie Wonder
7. “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” – Marvin Gaye
8. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
9. “ABC” – Jackson 5
10. “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” – The Temptations
11. “I’ll Be There” - Jackson 5
12. “I Want You Back” – Jackson 5
13. “Ain’t To Proud To Beg” – The Temptations
14. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” – Four Tops
15. “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted” – Jimmy Ruffin
16. “Ooo Baby Baby” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
17. “Brick House” - Commodores
18. “The Tears Of A Clown” – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
19. “Dancing In The Street” – Martha & The Vandellas
20. “Got To Be There” – Michael Jackson
21. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Diana Ross
22. “Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)” – Gladys Knight & The Pips

Disc 2
1. “Reach Out I’ll Be There” – Four Tops
2. “Never Can Say Goodbye” – Jackson 5
3. “Stop! In The Name Of Love” – The Supremes
4. “Baby I Need Your Loving” – Four Tops
5. “My Cherie Amour” – Stevie Wonder
6. “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)” – The Isley Brothers
7. “Easy” – Commodores
8. “Someday We’ll Be Together” – Diana Ross & The Supremes
9. “I Can’t Get Next To You” – The Temptations
10. “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” – Boyz II Men
11. “Hello” – Lionel Richie
12. “You Are The Sunshine Of My Life” – Stevie Wonder
13. “(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave” – Martha & The Vandellas
14. “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
15. “Super Freak” – Rick James
16. “Fire & Desire” – Rick James & Teena Marie
17. “You’re All I Need To Get By” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
18. “Cruisin’” – Smokey Robinson
19. “Got To Give It Up (Part 1)” – Marvin Gaye
20. “I’ll Make Love To You” – Boyz II Men
21. “Endless Love” – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
22. “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)” – Jr. Walker & The All Stars
23. “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell


What do you think about the Motown poll results?
Cast your vote on the blog sidebar.

Squeaky's Out

Remember that crazy man, Charles Manson? Well, his little gaggle of girls all got the punishment they deserved, as did he. But here's the latest twist: Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme has been released!

Age in 1975: 26
Age in 2009: 60

Reason for Arrest: Attempted murder of President Gerald Ford
Sentence: Life with parole

Background: Not directly involved with the Manson clan, but believed in their lifestyle. She attended the trials of Manson and the three women who were convicted for the murders. Escaped from a women's prison (to be closer to Manson) in 1987 and was recaptured days later, adding 15 months onto her sentence.

Memoirs of Squeaky Fromme
The Girl Who Almost Killed Ford
Extensive Manson Family Background
Pictures of Manson Family

Looking Back...

As the celebration comes to an end on this 40th anniversary of Woodstock, we reflect on the good times...



Thanks to everyone who made this year's celebration exciting and memorable. Here's hoping the 50th is just as good!

Woodstock: Just For Fun

Want to see what the concert grounds look like today?




And want to see what the artists looked like then and now?
Richie Havens



Arlo Guthrie



Melanie



Joe Cocker

Woodstock: Behind the Scenes

(This article originally appeared on Yahoo Music.)

Woodstock was a business. A very poorly run business. The four organizers, John Roberts (who died in 2001), Joel Rosenman, Michael Lang, and Artie Kornfeld were all in their 20s when they formed a company called "Woodstock Ventures" with the original intention of building a recording studio and retreat in the upstate New York town where Bob Dylan lived. They were in it to make money, but it didn't quite work out that way. It wasn't for lack of trying, though, and two things were definitely in their favor early on: they had a great idea and they knew their audience.

The festival's early "Aquarian Exposition" catch phrase was a calculated reference to the musical "Hair," which was popular with Woodstock Ventures' target audience. The final slogan of "3 Days of Peace & Music" was meant to link the concert to the burgeoning anti-war movement and let the neighbors know they intended to avoid violence. "The cool PR image was intentional," Artie Kornfeld said in a 1994 interview.

The four young entrepreneurs needed more than PR. Here are some facts about Woodstock - the capital adventure.

1. Woodstock Began as a Sitcom Idea
In 1967, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman were roommates. Roberts was heir to a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company fortune and Rosenman was a Yale Law School grad and part time guitarist for lounge bands. They wanted to produce a sitcom about "two pals with more money than brains and a thirst for adventure." As research, they took out ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times which read, "Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions." Head shop owner/concert producer Michael Lang and record executive Artie Kornfeld never saw the ad, but heard about the Men with Unlimited Capital. The four of them met and decided to produce a concert instead of a sitcom.

2. The Gender Gap in Pay
The Woodstock partners' first hurdle was to secure the services of the biggest acts they could find. Credibility was a big issue. They had none. Being first time concert producers, no one in the music business was convinced they could pull off such a huge undertaking and - more importantly - pay them. In order to erase any doubt, Woodstock Ventures gave artists a huge pay raise. Jefferson Airplane, whose previous payday was $6,000, was offered $12,000. Headliner Jimi Hendrix took home $32,000. However, none of the female performers were paid more than $10,000. Janis Joplin got $7,000 for her set. The glass ceiling exists in '60s rock, too.

3. Woodstock Was Not in Woodstock
Early on, it was clear the town of Woodstock would not work for the festival location, although the venture still had hopes of building a recording studio in the town after the festival was over. They first settled on an industrial park in the nearby town of Wallkill but the residents - spooked by the thought of thousands of hippies descending on their community - killed the proposal one month before the start date. Luckily, a motel owner in nearby Bethel had a $12 permit to run a music festival and was in dire need of some business. Elliot Tiber decided to introduce himself and his neighbor, Max Yasgur, to Woodstock Ventures. Yasgur owned a neighboring dairy farm. Woodstock ventures made a deal with Yasgur, Tiber, and the town of Bethel, telling them all that no more than 50,000 people would show for the concert.

4. Woodstock Was Not Supposed to Be Free
The four partners expected about 200,000 people would attend the three-day festival. A one day pass cost $7, a two day pass was $13, and a three day pass cost $18. By the time the gates opened, Woodstock Ventures sold $1.1 million dollars in tickets. Only problem? There were no ticket booths at the gate. Plus, once the crowds swelled, the fences were torn down. When the event ended, Woodstock Ventures was over $1 million dollars in debt. According to Roberts, it took until 1980 to finally pay off all of the bills which included refunds to the 12,000 to 18,000 people who bought tickets, but couldn't attend because of the closed roads.

5. It's a Catbird, Not a Dove
The Woodstock dove on the iconic poster is really a catbird. And it was originally perched on a flute. Artist Arnold Skolnick recalls, "I was staying on Shelter Island off Long Island, and I was drawing catbirds all the time. As soon as Ira Arnold (a copywriter on the project) called with the copy-approved '3 Days of Peace & Music,' I just took the razor blade and cut that catbird out of the sketchpad I was using. First, it sat on a flute. I was listening to jazz at the time, and I guess that's why. But anyway, it sat on a flute for a day, and I finally ended up putting it on a guitar."

6. Martin Scorsese: Hippie Editor
Well not a hippie, really. Scorsese, by his own account, didn't own a pair of jeans. And he was asthmatic which made him allergic to just about everything on an upstate New York farm. Still, he was a music freak and jumped at the chance to work on the film his NYU classmate Michael Wadleigh was directing. Warner Bros. bought the film rights for $100,000. Scorsese spent the entire three days confined to a nine-foot platform on stage right making sure no shot was missed. Scorsese's co-editor was Thelma Schoonmaker who edits Scorsese's films to this day.

7. The Grateful Dead: Shocked and Stoned
A few performances have been left out of the various Woodstock soundtracks and film edits over the years, most notably The Grateful Dead. Jerry Garcia confessed years later that "As a human being I had a wonderful time, but our performance onstage was musically a total disaster." The reason had more to do with the spiked drinks. According to Venture partner Michael Lang, the band's soundman, Owsley Stanley, insisted on rewiring the stage before the Dead played. As a result, every time the band touched their instruments they got shocked.

8. Iron Butterfly Can't Fly
A day and a half into the festival, Woodstock concert organizers were afraid the over capacity crowd would turn ugly. Between the rain, lack of food, lack of toilets, and drugs they had every reason to be concerned. By day two, they realized that heavy metal group Iron Butterfly was not the right band to play - even though the band was a confirmed act. After arriving in their New York City hotel room, the British group waited for a helicopter to take them to Bethel. And they waited...and waited...and waited.... No helicopter. Iron Butterfly had to wait for the movie to see Woodstock.

9. The Who: C.O.D.
By late Saturday afternoon, the Woodstock Venture was in danger of collapsing. Drugs, rain, and poor planning were threatening to turn the promised three days of peace into full scale bedlam. The "Freak-Out Tent" was overflowing with kids whose drinks and food had been spiked with LSD. Venture partner Michael Lang, who needed to stay straight said, "I didn't drink anything that didn't come from a bottle I didn't wash or open myself." In the midst of this chaos, The Who refused to take the stage unless they got paid up front. After getting a personal check from millionaire venture partner John Roberts, the manager of the local bank fought traffic back to his branch and returned with a cashier's check for the band.

10. Hippies Make a Lot of Trash
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the trash you make. When Woodstock ended on Monday morning, over 600 acres of garbage was left behind on Max Yasgur's farm. It took over 400 volunteers and $100,000 to remove it all. A huge hole was dug to bury shoes, tents, bottles, and other debris. The garbage filled the hole and created a pile of trash that was set on fire, burning for days. The resulting pollution triggered a fine from the town of Bethel - just one of many that would would trail Woodstock Ventures for years.

This article is an interesting take on Woodstock.

Hippie Fashion Takes Over the World!

Is it me, or does it seem as though every clothing ad shows 60's inspired fashion lately? Flip through any magazine and you're bound to see what I'm talking about. I believe it all started about a year ago. That's when I first started getting into hippie culture. I started listening to the music, watching the movies, living like they would have. I researched the past and started getting really interested in the whole movement that occurred.

And then I notice at my local mall all the windows filled with hippie inspired ensembles. Sure enough I look in my fashion magazines and it's now THE style. First it was sort of the light Bohemian look with the long flowing dresses. But now you can't escape the friggin' peace sign. It's everywhere! Young girls are wearing tank tops, headbands and peace signs. It's crazy! They don't even know what it stands for or how it even came about! It used to be hip and groundbreaking to flash the piece sign. Now it's kind of domesticated and commercial, so it's, sad to say, but, unhip.


Heck, even Wal-Mart, JCPenney, Kmart, Target, and other huge retailers are joining in. I mean, they have to to keep up with the latest styles, right? To me, though, it just seems so silly. Hippies were all about being free from the norms. They didn't want to follow in the same everyday life like the generations did before them. They made their own clothing. They bought stuff from Salvation Army. They roughed it. They were truly Bohemains. So for these BIG BOX, corporate stores to carry hippie fashion is just crazy. Back in the day, most people saw the hippie culture as bad. Now it's socially accepted as the norm.

So what's next? Are we going to have HUGE afros, platform shoes, or space suits? Not too sure on that one. What do you think?

(Picture Credits: Peace Tee @ Wal-Mart, Folk Fusion from Torrid, ad from Anna Sui, which will now be carried at Target!)

XM WOODSTOCK CHANNEL!

Okay, it's only temporary, but SiriusXM radio is offering up a great BIG helping of Woodstock for ya this weekend. Here's the particulars:

SiriusXM Channel 16 (aka Deep Tracks)

Airs Friday, Aug. 14th starting @ 12pm ET & goes until Sunday, Aug. 16th

PLAYLIST
The ENTIRE Woodstock show in order
The soundtrack to the NEW film "Taking Woodstock"
Interviews with cast & crew from "Taking Woodstock" (opens 8/28!)
Tracks from the NEW "Woodstock Experience" cd set
Tracks from the NEW "Woodstock - 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur's Farm" 6 cd set

ENTER TO WIN A WOODSTOCK PRIZE PACKAGE FROM RadioWoodstock.com: Enter Here

More Info Here @ SiriusXM Website.

Festival Express

After seeing the Woodstock movie for the first time, I loved it. I wished I could've been there. I thought no other documentary movie about the event could be any better. Well, that's true. But if you're craving a little more concert time with the same acts who performed at Woodstock, then look no further. Enter Festival Express...

As I watched the bands perform and then relax on the train, I felt like I was sitting right there with them. There's a scene in which Janis, Jerry Garcia and others are talking, singing and joking around. They just start behaving like a group of old friends and you feel as though you're a part of it. You feel like you're right in the middle of this. I love it! I'd never really seen footage of her like this, so I was kind of surprised when I watched it for the first time.


Festival Express was like a continuation of Woodstock. It was a train tour that occurred in 1970 across Canada and included bands such as The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and Buddy Guy. They traveled to three cities: Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary. The idea was to not fly to each place so that the musicians would be able to experience musical creativity between each other. The other big thing about these concerts is that no one wanted to pay the admission fee to get in, therefore riots ensued at each of the locations. ($14 was the ticket price! Shoot, I would've gone!) What's so unique about this film is that it displays Janis' last performance.



For a complete list of songs in the film, click here, or visit the official site.

Taking Woodstock - Opens Aug. 28th!

Hey, have you heard the news? Ang Lee made a new film about Woodstock, and it's opening in a few weeks! (Perfect timing on his part...) Here's the synopsis from the official site:

Based on the memoirs of Elliot Tiber, the comedy stars Demetri Martin as Elliot, who inadvertently played a role in making 1969’s Woodstock Music and Arts Festival into the famed happening it was. Featuring a standout ensemble cast, and songs from a score of ‘60s musical icons including The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and Country Joe and the Fish – plus a new recording of “Freedom” from Richie Havens – Taking Woodstock is a joyous voyage to a moment in time when everything seemed possible.

Working as an interior designer in Greenwich Village, Elliot feels empowered by the gay rights movement. But he is also still staked to the family business – a dumpy Catskills motel called the El Monaco that is being run into the ground by his overbearing parents, Jake and Sonia Teichberg (Henry Goodman and Imelda Staunton). In the summer of 1969, Elliot has to move back upstate to the El Monaco in order to help save the motel from being taken over by the bank.

Upon hearing that a planned music and arts festival has lost its permit from the neighboring town of Wallkill, NY, Elliot calls producer Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) at Woodstock Ventures to offer his family’s motel to the promoters and generate some much-needed business. Elliot also introduces Lang to his neighbor Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), who operates a 600-acre dairy farm down the road. Soon the Woodstock staff is moving into the El Monaco – and half a million people are on their way to Yasgur’s farm for “3 days of Peace & Music in White Lake.”

With a little help from his friends, including theater troupe leader Devon (Dan Fogler), recently returned Vietnam veteran Billy (Emile Hirsch), and cross-dressing ex-Marine Vilma (Liev Schreiber) – and with a little opposition from townspeople, including Billy’s brother Dan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) – Elliot finds himself swept up in a generation-defining experience that would change his life – and popular culture – forever.

A Focus Features presentation of an Ang Lee Film. Taking Woodstock. Demetri Martin, Dan Fogler, Henry Goodman, Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Imelda Staunton. With Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber. Casting by Avy Kaufman, C.S.A. Costume Designer, Joseph G. Aulisi. Music Supervisor, Joe Boyd. Music by Danny Elfman. Editor, Tim Squyres, A.C.E. Production Designer, David Gropman. Director of Photography, Eric Gautier, AFC. Based on the Book by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte. Executive Producer, Michael Hausman. Produced by James Schamus, Ang Lee, Celia Costas. Screenplay by James Schamus. Directed by Ang Lee. A Focus Features Release.

Also, on the site they have this neat thing where you can stick your mug inside a psychedelic poster. Whether you put it on Facebook, get it on a t-shirt or made up as a black light poster is up to you.

Woodstock: 40 Years On

All this week, I'll be posting about Woodstock. It's the 40th anniversary, so lots of exciting things are going on around the world. Movies, music, festivals, books, TV shows, etc. etc.

I'll be sure to keep you up on what's going down.

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MUST GET! MUST GET!

According to this article, a new 6 disc box set filled with EVERY song from Woodstock is coming out. It's the same music, same order, same people as heard in the award winning documentary movie. Don't have time to sit down and watch the movie? (Or, don't have the dough to buy the show?) Just pop this baby in and do the dishes, workout, paint, etc. Just be sure and put on some good noise canceling head phones to get the full effect of being there--minus the acid and rain.



Also, just got done watching a great Jimi Hendrix + Woodstock documentary that just shows his entire performance from the show. 2 CDs, lots of good background commentary (before and after the show), and restored audio. (Get out the surround sound!!)

Oh, and here's a little Jimi for ya...



'scuse me while I kiss the sky...