Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Photos From My Trip To Maine

The first two: the beach at Ogunquit, Maine





Perkins Cove at Ogunquit






Youngest and Hubby skipping stones


The next five: Places we ate. Egg & I in Ogunquit, Oarweed in Perkins Cove (including my lobster roll!), Mike's Clam Shack in Wells, and Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster in Freeport (Rachael Ray ate there!)












The Happy (and relaxed!) family



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Top 5 - Hits Of 1956

Top 5 Hits of 1956

No, I'm not losing it; I know it's not Friday. I'm not going to be posting this weekend, though, since I'll be joining my 5 siblings in surprising our parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. Of course I mixed a 1956 cd to play as background music while we eat, sing, and reminisce. It will be our first time together since 1998, so it's a special occasion for more than one reason. (When you get to be my age, you start thinking stupid things like, "Gee, probably the next time we'll all be together is for a wedding or a funeral.")

Anyway, there is such a lot of cool music from 1956, so it was tough to pick my 5 favorites. Hell, who am I kidding? It's always hard to pick just 5 songs ....

Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
Tutti Frutti - Little Richard
I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

You can listen in the left sidebar, or go here to download the podcast. Cheers, and have a great Labor Day weekend!

Wayback Wednesday

Music Memoirs had a tough time with Blogdrive yesterday and could not post the Take Me Back Tuesday meme, so they've posted today as Wayback Wednesday. Here it is:

Do you buy just released CDs in the store or preorder them online?
In store. I hate the whole pre-ordering thing, unless there's some sort of freebie they offer in addition to the preorder.

Do you remember a particular CD that was extremely hard to find when it had been recently released?
Hmmm. The Springsteen boxed "Born To Run" reissue.

To what extent will you go to buy a CD that you just have to have?
Well, I won't wake up early and wait in a line, that's for sure.

Have you ever bought a CD on a whim, without knowing the artist, just because you found something pleasing about the album art or that you've only heard one track.
Heck, yeah. I did that with World Party's "Goodbye Jumbo" and was pleasantly surprised. I am such a nerd that I do this quite often, especially in a used CD store.

Did you end up discovering a new artist, or did the CD find it's way into a Used CD store or the back of your closet?
Most of the time, I find a favorite new artist. I became a Jude Cole fan when I found a 2 dollar copy of "A View From 3rd Street."
If you would like to hear a few songs from Jude Cole, just click the Podomatic player on the left.
Baby It's Tonight
Get Me Through The Night
Hallowed Ground

Have you ever purchased a download just because you couldn't find a song any other way?
Yup. And I've also downloaded songs I couldn't find anywhere else from places like Napster (back in the day!) or Limewire.

Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week, Janet asks: I want to hear the story of your first crush.
Oh, this isn't going to be pretty!

The Place:
Richmond, Indiana

The Playas:



Left to right, from the top: Our Heroine, Nat; Cute Boy, Peter G.; The Evil Italian Vixen, Toni C.

The Story:
Way, way back in first grade, my little parochial school girl self had a major crush on a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed dream by the name of Peter G. Like most girls with crushes, I was too shy and nervous around him to blurt out anything but an occasional hello, but I mooned over him every time he whisked past me on the playground or brushed past my desk.

Once, at the parish picnic, I played tag with him and a small group of our classmates. I noticed my classmate Toni C. (The Evil Italian Girl who always had several Torrone in her lunch box and never shared!) paying a little too much attention to the object of my affection, and some sort of instinctive, hormonal drive caused me to morph from a shy kitten into an alley cat on the prowl. I allowed whoever was "it" to "catch" me, just so I could be have a turn being "it." Once I was the designated pursuer, I took off after Peter. I wasn't a speed demon runner, but Peter had tested positive when we had those godawful TB tests at school and he was always a little sickly. Catching him wasn't going to be an insurmountable task. When, indeed, I caught up to him, he didn't know what hit him. I tackled him to the ground and planted a long, hard kiss right on his lips. Stunned, he just lay there for a few moments, but was rescued by his mother, who had seen the whole thing go down. She shot me an icy stare and dragged Peter away by the arm. I could hear the other kids laughing, but it didn't phase me at all. As he was being led away, I saw him turn his head, look right at me, and smile.

Toni C. never spoke to me again. Peter G. would not make eye contact with me, either, and I was in his class all the way through 3rd grade. And every time I hear that Georgy Porgy song by Toto, I get a little sentimental. Kissed the boy and made him cry? Naaah. I made him smile.

Tell It To Me Tuesday

New Releases - August 29

Summer is winding down, but the new releases are starting to heat up!

BEACH BOYS-Pet Sounds: 40th Anniversary (Deluxe "Fuzzy Box" CD/ DVD)
BLUES TRAVELER-Bastardos En Vivo
Catie CURTIS-Long Night Moon
Bob Dylan-Modern Times - PICK OF THE WEEK
Thea GILMORE -Harpo's Ghost
HUMBLE PIE-Definitive Collection
James HUNTER -Believe What I Say
Ben KWELLER-Sundress EP
Ray LAMONTAGNE-Till The Sun Turns Black
Sam MOORE-Overnight Sensational
Pete Townshend - a whole slew of reissues
WATERBOYS-Fisherman's Blues (Collector's Edition)
Pete YORN-Nightcrawler
QUEENSRYCHE-Q2K (Remastered)

Rock 101 - alt.country

This week, five songs to take you through the county-rock genre.

What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round - The Monkees
Love Hurts - Gram Parsons (with Emmylou Harris harmonizing)
Screen Door - Uncle Tupelo
Take Me With You (When You Go) - The Jayhawks
Can't Let Go - Lucinda Williams

Go here to see a decent list of other artists to check out.

Listen with the player in the left sidebar, or go here to download, so you can listen whenever you like (even at the gym!)

Psychedelic Sunday

Commotion - Creedence Clearwater Revival

From 1969's classic Green River album, here's John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival's Commotion, a little ditty about all of the chaos of daily life in the USA.

Traffic in the city turns my head around.
No, no, no, no, no.
Backed up on the freeway, backed up in the church,
Ev'rywhere you look there's a frown, frown.

That was written before instant messaging, cell phones, TiVO, and personal computers were part of the daily chaos. What would Fogerty have to say these days?

You can listen to the song in the left sidebar, via Podomatic.

Or, download the song here.*

*available for 7 days only

Rock 101 - Heart

Ann and Nancy Wilson: Heart

Of course, there were/are other band members, but these sisters are the core of the band, and they were inspired by Led Zeppelin's hard-rocking and folky sounds.

5 songs to touch on phases of Heart's career.

Crazy On You - In which we hear Ann's range and experience the guitar-goddessness of Nancy
Love Alive - Very Zep-like
Straight On (Live)
The Battle Of Evermore (Live) - They cover their heroes.
Make Me - A 2004 comeback

Listen and/or download here, or in the left sidebar of this page.

Next week, I'm going a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. No, it's not Donny and Marie. See you then! (No Top 5 on Friday this week, folks. I'm pickin' blueberries.)

Road Trip!

Time for another road trip up north. On the agenda:








I will post the Rock 101 Podcast tomorrow morning, though, so stay tuned! Top 5 On Friday will be skipped this week, though. Catch you next week!

Psychedelic Sunday

Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family

Psych-pop group, The Poppy Family, had only charted five songs on the Billboard Pop Singles charts, and this minor 1971 hit is not even their highest-charting, but it carries over a 60's flavor, with a sitar, a bit of organ (though it's really lame) and some reverb. The core of the band was married couple Susan and Terry Jacks (yes the Terry Jacks of Seasons In The Sun.) They divorced by 1973, ending a short run in the spotlight.

This is one of those songs you never hear any longer. Some might say, "Deservedly so!" since it's of the plain-vanilla pop song flavor. Still, it's good to hear lost songs like this from time to time, don't you think? 'Spose people will be saying that about As Long As You Love Me in another 20 years?

Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family


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Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 Songs to Help You Vent Your Frustrations


I know it's not polite to cuss, but nothing helps me vent my frustrations more than a voluminous cloud of swear words. The Clash song is the only one here without a cuss word or two, but it packs plenty of anger to make up for it. And hats off to Harry Nilsson, for singing this lovely, bouncy little pop song, full off piss and vinegar.


Warning: Cussin' Follows!


5. Kiss My Ass - Country Joe McDonald

4. Life Sucks And Then You Die - Ray Jessel

3. Death Or Glory - The Clash

2. Fuck It - Deni Bonet

1. You're Breakin' My Heart - Harry Nilsson

Podcast is here.

Thursday Thirteen

Welcome to Thursday Thirteen - The Name Game

This is a fill in the blanks quiz, Rock-style! Fill in the blanks with the missing names from rock songs. Have fun!

1. Then _____ came along loved me strong that's what I thought. (It's Sue, from the Neil Diamond song, Solitary Man.)

2. And ____ likes to peel the labels from his bottles of Bud. (Billy, from the Sheryl Crow song, All I Wanna Do.)

3. ______ I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh. (Cathy, from the Simon & Garfunkel tune, America.)

4. When I hold _____ close she makes these hidden worlds mine. (hint: The Boss)

5. ____, boy, is that you? I thought your post-hangin' days were through. (hint: 70's pop song from a guy named Todd)

6. But they couldn't stop _____, 'or the waters lapping. (hint: The Who)

7. I will say the only words I know that you'll understand, my ______ (Michelle, from The Beatles)

8. _______, I love you so, I always will. (Bill, from Wedding Bell Blues by The Fifth Dimension.)

9. But the meanest thing that he ever did was before he left, he went and named me "_____.' (Sue, from Johnny Cash's big hit, A Boy Named Sue)

10. ______, I know this world is killing you. (Alison, from Elvis Costello's song, Alison)

11. First one's named sweet _____ _____ and she's my heart's delight. (Anne Marie, from The Grateful Dead's Friend Of The Devil)

12. Oh, _____, if youre hurting so am I. (hint: Concrete hair color)

13. Her name was ______ and she lived near a meadow by a pond. (hint: A Monkee goes solo)


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Old Pictures

I'm working on a few scrapbook pages for my parents and their 50th anniversary. (It's a surprise, but they don't do internet, so I'm safe sharing that!)

I found this great old shot from 1964. I remember our VW van very well. It had the scratchiest carpeting, which did not agree with my preferred barefootedness.

I'm the badass with my hands on my hips, and there are two of my younger brothers and my dad. My one brother is so chubby, he can hardly stand on his own, and he was probably about 16 or 18 months old in the photo. I owe him this, since he sent me a birthday card covered with photos of old ladies that he cut out of his local paper. All over the envelope, too. And he addressed the card to Nat "Old Fart."

Artist Of The Day

Skydiggers
Skydiggers are a Canadian alternative country/indie rock band from Toronto. Formed in 1987 by singer Andy Maize and guitarist Josh Finlayson, the band soon added Peter Cash, Wayne Stokes and bassist Ron Macey to their lineup. They quickly became a regular house band at Toronto's Spadina Hotel, often playing with Cash's brother, singer/songwriter Andrew Cash. (The Cash's have since parted with the band and set out on their own as a duo, The Cash Brothers.) They kind of remind me of the mellow Gram Parsons-era Byrds.


Click here to download Where's My Baby Tonight? from their limited edition cd, Dark Hollow, available at Maple Music.

Also available, the free download of Losing Altitude, also from Dark Hollow. Click here to grab it.

And a bonus click: Nebraska - The Cash Brothers - from their website (click song title to listen - right click to save)

New Releases - August 15, 2006

Lady And Mr. Johnson - Rory Block

Jean-Luc Ponty - reissues

Ultimate Guitar Zeus - Carmine Appice

Beach Boys & Friends - The Beach Boys - compilation

Captain Beefheart - reissues

Introducing - Harry Chapin

Air Stereo - The Damnwells

The Doobie Brothers - reissues

About Face - David Gilmour - a reissue of a really good solo recording

Greatest Hits - Grand Funk Railroad - still an American Band!

Beautiful Hits - Melanie - yes, but they are relegated to classic rock/oldies stations.

The Monkees - reissues

Lace - Benjamin Orr - The late Cars bassist/vocalist solo album reissue. You know, he was my favorite Car.

Elvis Presley - reissues

Bonnie Raitt And Friends - Bonnie Raitt - recorded live at that rich guy with the bad hair's Taj Mahal in 2005.

Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album - Reel Big Fish

Sublime [Deluxe Edition] - Sublime

Superstition - Pat Travers/Carmine Appice

Hallucination - Tommy Shaw/Jack Blades

Take Me Back Tuesday

Rock royalty.

Elvis was the King.
Michael Jackson was the King of Pop.
Now it's your turn.
Nominate Your Rock Royalty.

Top Three Songs
Rock & Roll Queen - The Subways
Kings - Steely Dan
Riding With The King - John Hiatt

Top Three Albums
In The Court Of the Crimson King - King Crimson
The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
Duke Elegant - Dr. John

Top Three Runners Up.
Prince - Certainly the Prince of Purple, if you ask me.
Fiona Apple - I dub thee The Princess of Pain.
Jimi Hendrix - It's good to be king, but it's better to be god.

Rock 101 - Warren Zevon

This week, class is in session for a short trip through the career of Warren Zevon. Go here to listen, or use the embedded player in the left sidebar.

And, by the way, did you do your homework from last week? It's all going to be on the final, you know!

Psychedelic Sunday

Panama Red (live)- New Riders Of The Purple Sage

In honor of the new season of Showtime's Weeds, which kicks off tomorrow night, I present an ode to a certain strain of weed that was quite popular in the 70's. Don't know if it's still around, being held in high regard by connoisseurs, but it will live in infamy, thanks to this Grateful Dead offshoot band. Think of this as an early alt.country outfit. (To be fair, the band began with Garcia, Lesh, and Hart, along with David Nelson and John Dawson, but quickly became their own unit minus Garcia and Lesh.)

Dig, if you will, the thinly veiled drug reference:

The judge don't know when Red's in town

He keeps well hidden underground

But everybody's acting lazy

Falling out and hangin' 'round

Enjoy. And smoke 'em if you've got 'em. (Do they still say that?)


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Top 5 On Friday

This week, it's wicked fun! Let's relive our childhoods! But not the Vietnam War, the civil unrest, the race riots, or any of that other crap we had to live through in the 60's.

Top 5 Songs that you Liked as a Child That you Still Like Now
Ok, can I remember back that far? You know I can!

5. Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds

4. California Dreamin' - The Mamas And The Papas

3. Happy Together - The Turtles

2. Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees - Hey, I loved all of the Mickey songs the best!

and could it be from The Fab Four? Ya think? OF COURSE.
1. Please Please Me - The Beatles

Podcast is here, if you care to listen to the songs and a wee bit of commentary by your truly.
UPDATE: You can also listen to the podcast with the embedded player in the left sidebar. Just choose which episode you wish to hear, and it should play!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Signs Of The Apocalypse

13. Size 12 Levis fit me perfectly.

12. David Hasselhoff wins a Grammy for Best Male Rock Performance.

11. Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch suddenly becomes 0 calories and fat-free.

10. My church gets air conditioning.

9. I tell someone I'm from Lancaster, PA and they don't ask, "Are you Amish?"

8. Ted Kennedy is not re-elected in MA.

7. Rocky VI (or whatever the new one is called) wins the Oscar for Best Picture. Stallone gets lifetime achievement Oscar.

6. My blog reaches 500,000 hits. Most posts still have 3 comments.

5. My husband agrees to get a family dog.

4. I bake a cake that actually looks as good as it tastes.

3. The Super Bowl's halftime show does not suck.

2. Peace breaks out in the Middle East.

1. I have next week's Thursday Thirteen written before Wednesday. (Uh oh. I had this week's written last Friday!)
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I'm feeling a bit better this afternoon. Thanks for all the well-wishes!

Nat's Not Feeling Well, So You Get A Cartoon

From Toothpaste For Dinner

New Releases - August 8, 2006

It's cooled off a bit around here, but the music just keeps on comin' in, piping hot!

Best of The Bayou Blues - Tab Benoit

Gold - The Mavericks

The Evening Call - Greg Brown

Freezing Atlantic - Aberdeen City

Out Of The Angeles - Amusement Parks On Fire

Eternal Boogie - Canned Heat

The Cure - reissues

Reprieve - Ani Difranco

Drunken Boat - Drunken Boat

All This Time - Heartless Bastards

Until We Felt Red - Kaki King

All The Young Dudes (Bonus Tracks) - Mott The Hoople

Reckless Kelly Was Here - Reckless Kelly

Bob Schneider - reissues

North American All- Stars - John Stamos Project - Would Uncle Jesse buy this?

Alley Cat Rumble - Stray Cats - compilation, with lots of live cuts

The Tragically Hip - reissues

Rockin Bluesman - Johnny Winter

New Weekly Podcast - Rock 101

I know. I'm getting carried away, but I have discovered podcasting, and I'm enjoying it so much that I'm going to attempt (at least before I go back to work in Sept.) to post two podcasts per week, both with a 5-song format. Monday's podcast will feature an artist or a genre, covering some of the basic elements. This week, it's Frank Zappa 101. So, in 5 songs, I'll cover what you need to know to get a tiny taste of all the genius weirdness that was Frank Zappa. Which songs? You'll just have to tune in (or at least click over to PodOMatic and see the list.)

Click here to listen to Frank Zappa 101.

Psychedelic Sunday

Jefferson Airplane - Good Shepherd, from their 1969 release, Volunteers.

A traditional folk song, done Jefferson Airplane style, with wailing guitars and beautiful harmony. Grace Slick's vocals are quite subdued, but it only adds to the ambience. One of the songs that signals the end of the 60's, if you ask me.

Good Shepherd - Jefferson Airplane

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Top 5 On Friday

This week it's the...

Top 5 Debut Albums (and the most memorable song from each)

5. Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - Van Halen - from their 1978 self-titled debut
4. Land - Patti Smith - from her 1975 debut, Horses
3. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash from their 1979 US debut, The Clash
2. Communication Breakdown - Led Zeppelin - from their 1969 self-titled debut
1. Welcome To The Working Week - Elvis Costello - from 1977's My Aim Is True.

What are you favorites?

You can listen to the podcast here. Or download it by clicking here, so you can listen on your own mp3 player or even your iPod!

And I really must plug my fellow music-loving blogger, Andrew, from bloggedy blog, who's in the midst of a countdown of the 100 albums That Changed My Life , with an accompanying podcast. You can listen to it here.

A New Addition To The Ice Cream Hall Of Fame!

Yes, there's a new addition to the Ice Cream Hall Of Fame in the left sidebar! Please welcome Ben & Jerry's Vermonty Python!



I had some WW points left over this week, so I indulged in an 8-point snack: 1/2 cup of honest-to-goodness real ice cream with fat and everything. It was worth every lip-smacking spoonful!

Ben & Jerry's introduced this creamy ode to Monty Python earlier this year, and I've been opening and closing the freezer case door at Stop & Shop every week, playing a game of "Good Nat, Bad Nat." I finally decided it was time to cave and honor my ice-cream lovin' soul. I mean, I'm a good girl now, and I can eat just 1/2 cup and be satisfied! RIGHT? I won't sit on the sofa, chowing down on the entire pint right out of the carton, while I watch some equally tasty-yet-totally-bad-for-me TV show. Nooooo. I will dole out just 1/2 cup and sit at the table, where all good dieters do their eating.

But I digress.

I still don't get why coffee liquer ice cream with a luciously rich chocolate cookie crumb swirl and fudge cows in it is a hats off to Monty Python, though. Not once did I feel like walking silly or asking, "What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?" Ok, maybe I did sing "I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok," but that's hardly enough.

This is some killer ice cream. It's deliciously rich and creamy, with a great texture from the cookie swirl. Those fudge cows just send this one over the top. It's killing me, knowing that if I want to have another 1/2 cup anytime soon, I'm going to have to save up the points! Maybe I can talk College Boy into removing my temptation for me.


This one earns: scoops of Pythony goodness.

Celebrity Sighting!

I guess they're Trading Spaces somewhere around me, because I just saw this guy

at my local Bed, Bath, & Beyond 10 minutes ago, and he had a cartload of stuff! I was so awestruck that all I said was, "Are you from Trading Spaces?" He said,"Yes!" I would have loved to have followed him to see where they are working.

Thursday Thirteen

I need to laugh this week, don't you? So, let's do it! I think some of these would have been the kind of jokes you would have heard when those head popped out from behind the doors on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In all those years ago.



Thirteen One Liners

1. How does a man show he's planning for the future? He buys two cases of beer instead of one.

2. A procrastinator's work is never done.

3. If you believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.

4. If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

5. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

6. Not all men are annoying. Some are dead.

7. The more you say, the less people remember.

8. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

9. Two peanuts walk into a bar. One was a salted.

10. A dyslexic man walks into a bra....

11. Mouse potato: what you are if you blog too much.

12. A fool and his money are soon elected.

13. What would you call a musician who doesn't have a girlfriend? Homeless
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Artist Of The Day

The Sleepy Jackson