'Brand New Cadillac'

"I said, 'Jesus Christ, where'd you get that Cadillac?!!'"

The Clash: 

'Stray Cat Strut'

I haven't posted the Stray Cats for six years. See, "'Storm the Embassy'."

And I was just thinking about it after hearing "Stray Cat Strut" at 93.1 Jack FM while out to the bank.

Rocket Man
Elton John
2:04pm

Seven Nation Army
The White Stripes
1:54pm

You Shook Me All Night Long
AC/DC
1:50pm

Words
Missing Persons
1:46pm

November Rain
Guns N' Roses
1:40pm

Sweet Dreams
EURYTHMICS
1:37pm

Fat Bottomed Girls
Queen
1:32pm

Something Just Like This
Coldplay / The Chainsmokers
1:22pm

Tom Sawyer
Rush
1:17pm

I Will Die 4 U / Baby You're A Star
Prince
1:11pm

Comedown
Bush
1:06pm

If You Leave
O M D
1:01pm

Iron Man
Black Sabbath
12:51pm

Stressed Out
Twenty One Pilots
12:48pm

The Waiting
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
12:44pm.

"Stray Cat Strut" came on just before Tom Petty, but I'm just now checking the website and the playlist.

I saw the band twice at the Roxy in Hollywood back in the day.

The Stray Cats are the only band I can ever remember that botched a song on stage and had to start over. Brian Setzer forgot the lyrics --- it was probably "Rock This Town," now that I think about it --- and drummer Slim Jim Phantom banged his snare drum --- twap, twap!! --- stopped and looked over at Setzer with a look saying, "WTF man" (plus an eye-roll lol).

Chuck Berry's New Single, 'Big Boys' (AUDIO)

Chuck Berry's got a brand-new posthumous album coming out in June, available for pre-order at Amazon, "Chuck."

Read all about it at the Sound L.A., "LISTEN: Chuck Berry Album Set for June Release; Hear Lead Single."

And listen to "Big Boys":

Did the song give you déjà vu? It should: It starts out with the classic “Johnny B. Goode” guitar riff, bringing this latest release full circle.

Chuck is Chuck Berry’s first album in 38 years, so it comes highly anticipated, to say the least. It was initially announced last October, so fans only have a few more months to go before hearing some of Berry’s final works—which is sure to be a celebration of the late rocker’s life.

And his family agrees, sharing, “While our hearts are very heavy at this time, we know that Chuck had no greater wish than to see this album released to the world, and we know of no better way to celebrate and remember his 90 years of life than through his music.”

'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On'

Shake it, baby.

Jerry Lee Lewis turned 81 years-young last Thursday.

The Sound L.A. played "Whole Lotta Shakin'" during my morning drive time. In fact, I'd just pulled into my parking spot at the school. And then boom! On comes Jerry Lee's rockin' piano introduction. So great. It reminded me of my rockabilly days back in the early '80s, when bands like the Blasters and the Stray Cats were playing concerts in Hollywood. Good times.

Watch, ole' Jerry Lee, at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, April 2015. Scroll forward to about 3:20 for "Whole Lotta Shakin'...":

Back On the Chain Gang
Pretenders
6:58 AM

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
Jerry Lee Lewis
6:55 AM

Here I Go Again
Whitesnake
6:37 AM

Doctor My Eyes
Jackson Browne
6:34 AM

Hurts So Good
John Mellencamp
6:30 AM

White Room
Cream
6:24 AM

Your Song
Elton John
6:20 AM

Jamming
Bob Marley & The Wailers
6:06 AM

Your Love
The Outfield
6:02 AM

'I Fought the Law'

The Bobby Fuller Four, "I Fought the Law," from last night on the Sound L.A.:

Don't Bring Me Down
The Animals
10:27 PM

I Fought the Law
Bobby Fuller Four
10:25 PM

Good Lovin'
The Young Rascals
10:23 PM

Bus Stop
The Hollies
10:19 PM

She Said She Said
The Beatles
10:17 PM

I Feel Free
Cream
10:13 PM

Eight Miles High
The Byrds
10:10 PM

Just Like a Woman
Bob Dylan
10:04 PM

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
The Rolling Stones
10:01 PM

Touch Me
The Doors
9:51 PM

Roadhouse Blues
The Doors
9:47 PM

'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On...'

From yesterday's drive-time at the Sound L.A., "10at10: 3/17 Shaking Songs."

And if you have time, get a kick out of this Steve Allen segment in full, featuring Jerry Lee. Amazing, prodigious advertising all over the place. Quite a throwback.

'(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66...'

So my mom's visiting and she's wearing a "Route 66" shirt: "Get your kicks..."

And I'm tryin' to find a Chuck Berry live clip, but it's a dearth.

In any case, here's some Nat King Cole, who was the first to record the Bobby Troup song, in a fine video clip. This takes you way back:



A Chuck Berry recording is here.

And some Rolling Stones here.

More blogging later...

Elvis Live from Tupelo, Mississippi, 1956

I've forgotten now, but the Sound L.A. played some Elvis Presley the other day while I was running errands, either "Don't Be Cruel" or "Treat Me Nice."

In any case, trolling around on YouTube I came across this vintage concert footage from 1956. Pretty cool.

'American Music'

From the band's January concert at the Observatory in Santa Ana. I looked into getting some tickets, but it was too late.

'Little Queenie'

My kinda music.

Jerry Lee Lewis with Kid Rock and Ron Wood. Oh my.

I got the lumps in my throat
When I saw her coming down the aisle
I gets the wiggles in my knees
When she looked at me and sweetly smiled

There she is again, standing over by the record machine
Oooh, she's looking like a model on the cover of a magazine
Why, she's too cute to be a minute over seventeen

Meanwhile, I was thinking
She's in the mood
No need to break it
I got the chance
I oughtta take it
She can dance
We can make it
Come on, Queenie
Let's shake it

Go, go, go, little Queenie
Go, go, go, little Queenie
Go, go, go, little Queenie...

'Blue Christmas'

This song's been playing at The Sound L.A.

Can't miss:

'Although it's always crowded ... You still can find some room...'

From yesterday's drive-time at The Sound L.A.

They go way back sometimes, to 1956:

9:51am: Bang A Gong - T. Rex

9:38am: Ain`t Even Done With That - John Cougar Mellencamp

9:34am: Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

9:29am: Feel Like Makin' Love - Bad Company

9:24am: Magic Man - Heart

9:22am: Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin

9:15am: You Really Got Me - The Kinks

'Storm the Embassy'

Until later, enjoy some Stray Cats:

Fifty man taken captive in a hostile foreign land
Scorchin' sun beaming down onto miles and miles of sand
A mideast country being ruled
By a man who thinks it's fun
To hold our people in return
For a sjah that's on the run

I think it's funny
Freedom takes money

It's a heartache and it's hard luck
Well that's tough shit
Man it's no fun
Storm the Iranian embassy
Before they start shootin' down you and me

Scourge of suits in control
Of the diplomatic mess
While the nations of the world
Look on and they care less
The Soviet Union won't agree
To an economic plan
And then they laugh and march their troops into Afghanistan

Orders from Moscow
Invade Teheran now

It's a heartache and it's hard luck
Well that's tough shit
Man it's no fun
Storm the Iranian embassy
Before they start shootin' at you and me

A nation worries and reads the papers
Hoping that no-one has died
Hearin' rumours that the hostages
Will soon be tried as spies
Demonstrations on the street
Saying that the end is near
The man from New York Times on vacation
Wants to know what happened here

Agressive acts now
We want the best now
Fifty moms crying
Is my son dying ?

It's a heartache and it's hard luck
Well that's tough shit
Man it's no fun
Storm the Iranian embassy
Before they start shootin' at you and me...

RELATED: From Max Boot, at Commentary, "Paying the Price in Egypt and Iran."


INSPIRATION: Linkmaster Smith.

Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll

Here's the live clip with Brian Setzer:

But listen to Robert Gordon's version, with the incredible Link Wray on guitar. The song was first recorded by Billy Lee Riley and His Little Green Men, and here's this from Wikipedia:

In the early 1970s, Riley quit music to return to Arkansas to begin his own construction business. In 1978 "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock 'n' Roll" were covered by Robert Gordon and Link Wray, which led to a one-off performance in Memphis in 1979, the success of which led to further recording at Sun Studio and a full-time return to performing.

Rediscovered by Bob Dylan in 1992, who had been a fan since 1956, Riley played rock and roll, blues and country-blues.

His album Hot Damn! (Capricorn, 1997) was nominated for a Grammy Award.

That is so cool.

'Blue Suede Shoes'

Zilla mentioned she loves Elvis, and I'm throwing in some Carl Perkins too, and some rare 1955 footage with Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly as well:

More blogging tonight.

But Uh-Oh, Honey, Lay Off of Them Shoes...

I used to listen to all the great original rockabilly artists. Carl Perkins made the first recording of "Blue Suede Shoes," which was later covered by Elvis Presley. Here's Perkins on Perry Como's in 1956. Another era, for sure. Go, cat, Go:

Undo It

Care of Amusing Bunni's Musings:

That's Rule 5 material, by the way. Gotta keep up with the linkage!

They Wanna Hear Some American Music...

Okay, keeping up with our theme from last night: The Blasters have the inspiration, "American Music" (the second clip is from Farm Aid 1986):

Well, a U.S. soldier boy on leave in West-Berlin
No music there that rocks, just a thousand violins
They wanna hear some American music, American music
They wanna hear that sound right from the U.S.A.

Well, it can be sweet and lovely, it can be hard and mean
One thing's for sure, it's always on the beam
They wanna hear some American music, American music
They wanna hear that sound right from the U.S.A.

It's a howl from the desert, a scream from the slums
The Mississippi rollin' to the beat of the drums
They wanna hear some American music, American music
They wanna hear that sound right from the U.S.A.

We got the Louisiana boogie and the delta blues
We got country, swing and rockabilly, too
We got jazz, country-western and Chicago blues
It's the greatest music that you ever knew
It's American music, it's American music, it's American music
It's the greatest sound right from the U.S.A.

Well, a US soldier boy has to stop right in his tracks
When he hears that crazy beat, he turns and doubles back
Because they're playing American music, American music
The whole world digs that sound from the U.S.A.

I Said, 'Hey Pretty Girl'...

I mentioned the other day I wanted to jam some "American Music." And I was thinking about The Blasters at about the same time ... so what the heck? I'm done for the night, but until later, enjoy "Marie Marie":

Marie Marie
Playing guitar on the back porch
I sit in my car
While she sings so sad
Marie Marie

Marie Marie
It's so lonely in these farmlands
Please come with me
To the bright lights downtown
Marie Marie

I said, "Hey, pretty girl
Don't you understand
I just want to be your lovin' man"

Marie Marie
The sun is down in the corn fields
The evening is dark
And you sing so sad
Marie Marie

Marie Marie
I got two weeks in back pay
There's gas in my car
And your folks say I must go
Marie Marie

I said, "Hey, pretty girl
Don't you understand
I just want to be your lovin' man"

Marie Marie
Playing guitar on the back porch
I leave in my car
While you sing so sad
Marie Marie