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Posts Tagged ‘Neil Diamond’

Red Rubber Ball

Posted in Music, Video, tagged , , , , , on January 12, 2014| 4 Comments »

GC Myers-The Hidden Simple I wasn’t going to write anything today but there is a song that has been stuck in my head since hearing it the other day.  It’s one of those songs from the past that fades from memory but once it is reintroduced, becomes ever-present, at least for a short time.  And that’s where I am with Red Rubber Ball, a song made popular all the way back in 1966 by a short-lived band, The Cyrkle.  Their other hit was also a song with a catchy chorus, Turn Down Day.

This was never one of my favorites, at least consciously.  But it was so ingrained that the chorus just falls out once the song begins and, as I said, remains there for some time.  I found myself humming it this morning as I wandered through the woods to my studio at 6:30.  And there was no red rubber ball in the sky.

An interesting aside for this song is that Paul Simon co-wrote it with Bruce Woodley of  The Seekers, who also recorded it in 1966.  It has also been recorded by Neil Diamond and many others but the version that most folks remember, at least for short periods, is from The Cyrkle.  Here they are performing the song on a variety show in 1966, complete with keen matching outfits and a nifty set.  Enjoy and have a great Sunday.

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Cherry Cherry

Posted in Neat Stuff, Video, tagged , , on December 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

It’s nearing the end of the year and I’ve exceeded my quota for inane words written so I’m just going to show a video from The Music Machine.  They were a mid-60’s band from LA that played a garage-punk brand of music that characterized their biggest hit, the Top 20 Talk Talk.  They were definitely products of the era with their helmeted hairstyles and their funky all black garb, complete with one single glove worn on the right hand of each band member, predating Michael Jackson by decades.  They didn’t make it out of the 60’s,  going through a couple of incarnations in the 4 or 5 years of their existence.

I was going to feature Talk Talk but I came across this little gem, their cover of Neil Diamond’s classic Cherry Cherry.  It’s a surprisingly cool and restrained version.  It’s got a little bit of everything.  Jazzy flute solos.  Go-go dancers in groovy threads doing some kind of  swaying low-impact calisthenics.  Neat 60’s backdrop.

Oh, it’s a happening.

But it somehow works.

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Who Is Harry Nilsson?

Posted in At the Movies, Favorite Things, Video, tagged , , on November 30, 2010| 1 Comment »

There’s a new documentary out (actually a re-edited version of a 2006 film) called Who Is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him) which concerns itself with the life, death and influence of the late American singer/songwriter.  His career was both brilliant and tragic, qualities you can often see in many of his songs. 

 He had a genius for composing beautiful ballads yet often had a bitter edge, throwing in lyrics that catch the listener off guard.  For example, in Don’t Forget Me Nilsson takes a tender song that has a wistful air and suddenly drops a line like “and when we’re older and full of cancer, It doesn’t matter now, Come on, get happy” that disarms you completely.  Neil Diamond perfromed that song on a recent album and changed that lyric, which bothers me in that it alters the whole song.   Or you can choose any of the lines from You’re Breaking My Heart with its happy rhythms and the ultimate punch of its chorus.

I’m hoping that more people will learn more about Nilsson and his talent to keep his music alive.  It has been a staple for film-makers since his Evcerybody’s Talkin’ from Midnight Cowboy  in 1969 captured the essence of  film and its memorable characters.  A personal favorite of mine is Martin Scorsese’s use of Jump Into the Fire from Goodfellas.

So, if you get a chance, take in this documentary or least find a Nilsson song and give it a listen.  I guarantee you will find something in there to like.  Here’s the trailer:

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