We are so fortunate to be living in a country of great wealth, which allows artists of all stripes to flourish. Last night I watched music tape #27 of my personal collection, recorded circa 2000. It began with U2 doing Elevation on SNL, which was a perfect theme for the entire two hours, as many of the artists hit incredibly high notes. 75% of it was drawn from the PBS old rock n roll shows, which have been big fundraisers. I do not regret including any of the acts. All were at least solid. I laughed when Brian Johnson, the most unlikeliest of singers, fronting AC/DC, followed two incredibly talented Broadway divas with You Shook Me All Night Long. Cathy Young and the Innocents sang their lone top ten hit, A Thousands Stars in the Sky, which was recorded in 1961 when she was only 15. She must have married a rich man, as she looked like a million dollars. Jay Black, Lou Christie and Little Anthony and the Imperials all hit high notes, remarkable given their ages. In the past, I’ve chosen one highlight from the two hours. I’ll choose four today. Each gave me the shakes and made me misty. The first features one of the world’s great singers, Broadway’s Linda Eder, performing Man of La Mancha, which is of course a man’s part. Six-foot-one, drop dead gorgeous and incredibly poised and talented, she commands a stage. Pay particular attention to the song’s break when she hits successive notes, each higher than the last, and the look on her face as she completes the amazing run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWP7l0OTXJI Next, the Duprees performing You Belong To Me. The lead singer, Richie Rosato, is different from the one who has sung with the group on other shows. I don’t know which is the original. I know only that this performance is perfect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BapfOW8HLVA Three: Eddie Holman doing Lonely Girl. One word -- unbelievable. My God - is he a eunuch? This one has a 15-second ad before it. It’s worth the wait: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lscp1GCjUQ Finally, three giants of American culture, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin performing a medley on Garland’s short-lived CBS variety show, which aired in 1962. The vocals manifest their fantastic artistry, and the simple choreography and script are charming. One aspect I noticed for the first time is the greater warmth Judy showed toward Dino than Ol’ Blue Eyes. Maybe Ava Gardner was standing in the wings. The segment sandwiches the lyrics of two of the greatest writers of all time, Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer. The segment, preceded by a 15-second ad, runs 8:30: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xszbbPoylIM
Bonus Track: In 2012 I happened to catch the Jefferson Starship performing White Rabbit, fronted by someone other than Grace Slick, on a PBS show. I was blown away. Yesterday it finally dawned on me to look it up at youtube. The singer is Cathy Richardson. I enjoyed her histrionics as much as the vocal, and the music is spot on, chilling. It runs less than three minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuaH-Ao2lKw
My thanks to the four people who purchased wares on Bay Parkway today. No web sales for the third straight week. And my thanks to you for reading:
"...And so I'm borrowing
A love song from the birds
To tell you that you're marvelous
Too marvelous for Words...."
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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