Carr's Cocktail Shack: the Last Round

Brazil, Desi Arnez
Peanut Vendor, Anita O’Day
Little Red Rooster, Sam Cooke and Billy Preston
Fever, Little Willie John

Cocktail Du Jour “Absent Friend”
Absinthe, Gin, Cointreau, and Lemon Juice. Shaken with ice. Recipe details to be posted later.

La Vie en Rose, Sam Butera and the Witnesses
Help Yourself, Tom Jones
Mucha Muchacha, Esquivel (see Lola’s comment below)
House of Bamboo, Earl Grant
Quiet Village, Martin Denny

At this point, the snow flurries over the Sierras started playing havoc with the telegraph wires, and the following set was intermittent and sometimes absent for whole minutes:

Beseme Mucho, unable to determine artist
Move Over Darling, Doris Day
My Pussen, Lord Kitchener
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, Perez Prado
Our Day Will Come, Ruby and the Romantics
Make it Easy on Yourself, Dionne Warwick
I’m Comin’ Home, Walker Brothers
Gonna Get Along Without Ya, Trini Lopez
Hum Drum Blues, Oscar Brown
As Time Goes By, Sam

And the chatter I heard before the show indicates that the website is up for a good long time, so be sure to check out those Cocktail Shack shows you’ve missed in Carr’s Cocktail Shack archives.

"Oh hello Perforated Eardrum!

You: Muchacho. Me: Muchacha!"

Another lovely image of Lola the Vamp at conceptimages.org

Bottoms up!

Rate Your Horslips Albums

A chance mention of Horslips in the rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1970s has led to a discovery of a great little site.

But first, I do think the thread above is worth a read. I'm still idling on some of the memories of the American rock music industry in the late 70s that my initial viewing of The Return of the Dancehall Sweethearts has jump-started.

And while the engine on that particular rant is warming up and getting ready to burn rubber, I do find it interesting that this discussion is speaking a truth that we all try to forget: namely, rock-n-roll music nearly went under in the late 70s. It wasn't even rock-n-roll anymore...it was Rock Music on AOR Radio with corporate sponsor concert tours and boardroom decisions on the Next Big Thing. It was a bloated and curled around a toilet and old before its time. I'm not saying that it is much better now. But if you were young back then (and I mean a teenager) you might remember how much work you had to do on your own to get a hold of that Jonathan Richman album or the Ramones or find a station that might play something real risk-taking like The Sex Pistols.

Or, say, Horslips.

Because the thread is slightly wrong, as is the premise of my argument above. 1976 was a great year for rock music. And, as Danny and the Juniors promise, rock and roll will never die.

But 1976 was a lousy year for new rock music or rock music outside the industry expectations of what would sell. The genres of the form were slowly closing in on the audience, like the scene in Star Wars where the walls of the trash compactor are moving in on Luke, Leia, Han and Chewie. (Star Wars metaphors are required in 70s rants.) 1977 was a bad year for it too. '78? Nope. '79...forget it. The main channels of production, promotion, and distribution for rock and roll were what needed to die. And that's where...

But wait! I wasn't going to do that rant yet, was I? Anyway. Read the thread if you like, but the real link in this post is below:

Rate Your Music.com's Horslips page

Speaking of new channels of promotion! Here's a site that is something of a 'Peoples' Record Rating service. I found it through the thread above, because they list The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony in their top 100 albums of 1976. "Hang on," I said, "That can't be an industry chart! It clearly isn't based on money, and it doesn't look like elite rock critic choices either...so it must be by people who just love the music."

Looking around I see my friend Aidan Curran has already been at the Horslips ratings. I've signed up just now and have already weighed in on Happy to Meet Sorry to Part and plan to work my way through the rest.

"Her and a thousand other girls" he said.

Not yet on the Comebackhorslips.com With The Band Pages but should be:



Yes. Just what is it with Barry Devlin and the ladies?

"Tonight you're with me..."

All the way from the Tower Records on Wicklow Street, via the good folk of An Post (Really mean that too, you crazy kids! Though I understand sometimes you gotta talk things over...) and then into the sometimes wacky but always dependable "nor rain-nor sleet-nor snow" boys and girls of Ben Franklin's first US employer...and finally the tender care of our current company mail clerk who is doing a great job while Joe Pachinko takes a two week vacation to write the novel that is going to "Wake Everybody Up to the Truth Man!"and finally me thinking "hey I should check the mail because there ain't gonna be none today..."

At the end of this long journey which began with the quick-thinking resourcefulness of Brendan "Nevada Gulch" McLoughlin one week ago this very day:

THE RETURN OF THE
DANCEHALL SWEETHEARTS
DVD IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the iTunes player: Was "Rain Dogs", Tom Waits...now we got "The Power and the Glory" from The Best of Horslips double CD set.

"One more for my baby. One more for the Road"

I've received word that this Sunday is Carr's Cocktail Shack's final round! Yes, the clock on the wall says three o:clock. Last call. For alcohol.

From the very first show, the Shack has been a treat. The way it came quickly to the point with the Celtic Orgasm. ("See!" my girlfriends would say. "Full speed ahead and no dawdling. 'Why take all night about it?' is their motto.") The Jungle Room gems of Graceland in the Elvis Extravanganza. The rollcall of great mambo kings Perez Prado and Machito and more. Neil Sedaka singing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' The smokey sirens of song like Peggy Lee and Keely Smith. Last week's fantastic redis/covering of great Beatles tunes. And not to mention: Lola the Vamp's silk panties. From the beginning: the Shack served a mix of music and chat that kicked.

And it is going to go out with a bang they say...and a few surprises! So DON'T MISS IT. Listen to it live on your radio dial at 92.1 Choice FM, Dublin or on your browser at www.choicefmdublin.com. And revisit your favorite Shack on the ChoiceFM web archives.

And then...the Cocktail Shack neon sign will fade into dawn's faint light and we'll all have to go our separate ways...

"Oh! I could use a ride home!
How sweet of you to ask."

"Just let me grab my coat. It might be cold outside!"

Write to Lola. She'd love to hear from you. And check out this whole new gallery of photos of lovely Lola here at Conceptimages.org.

Horslips at the Chieftain

Monday, as mentioned before, was a hectic day. The main event was a final interview with the sixth candidate for a new position in our department. I scheduled it for 10:00 a.m. with the instructions that I was to take the candidate out to lunch after the interview. Two others from the department joining us.

After the interview wrapped and we did other pleasant and diverting things, including of tour of the offices and a raid on the last of the Halloween candy, we set about lunch.

Them: Where are we going for lunch?
Me: You know how I always answer that. And if you don't have your own preferences...
Roger: Oh good! I like the Chieftain. They play Coldplay!
Me: Just the one time Roger...let's not give them a bad reputation.

And so we walked to Fifth and Howard, young job candidate in tow. And when we walked in what should be playing on the house system? Why Faster Than the Hound its very self! Followed by The Snakes' Farewell. "That's HORSLIPS!" I said, interrupting myself ordering up a table for four.

We were seated and reviewing menus as Faster Than the Hound soared into its final part.

Other coworker: Do I detect a Grateful Dead thing there? That was pretty Garcia.
Me: Um...well...though they acknowledge the San Francisco scene as a major influence, that guitarist has his own influences rooted in the John Mayall tradition. But, note to self (I said to myself): when attempting to convert Deadheads, concentrate on Johnny Fean's guitarwork.
Roger: I thought it was rather evocative of the late Beatles period.
Me: Again, another influence. A key influence I believe. Second note to self (I said to myself): are you going to bring in that Lipstick song for Roger or what?

Then the two Horslips songs faded into Hey Jude and we lost Roger's attention for a few minutes. That was followed by Bob Dylan, so Other CoWorker was happy. We all kept an eye on Job Candidate as Bob Marley, Culann's Hounds, and -- yes -- Coldplay made their appearance. To see what might click.

Finally, I turned back to the table and said "You know, we never did hear the rest of the story about the Guerneville Leather Community and Prince Charles..."

to be continued

Promoting the Next Gig: Johnny Fean & Steve Travers

From the Entertainment.ie listing:

Cobblestone
Date: 18 November 2005
Time: 9.00pm
Website: feanandtravers.com
Price: €15.00 - 13.00

Venue Details
Cobblestone
North King St
Smithfield
Dublin 7
Phone: +353 1 872 1799
Email: paul@musiclee.ie
Website: musiclee.ie