New Poem: PARKING LOT HEROES

 out in front of the Dairy Queen 

 at the intersection of Highways 25 and 287

 youthful male giants once stood as colossi

 astride the welcoming landscape of small town 70s

 naked streaking all the way to White’s Auto

 fights where karate was defeated by groin kick

 Kiss and Led Zeppelin (sometimes Herbie Hancock)

 provided background music from 8-track car stereos 

 >

 their world couldn’t hold back change

 some graduated, others did not

 one or two left town ahead of baby births 

 the Dairy Queen died so Texas One Stop could live

 White’s Auto is now a Dollar General

 the colossi are now grandparents 

 the youth of today drive their giant trucks

 get their provisions from One Stop

 and drive away fast with trucker hat country 

 as CD and FM stereo background music of choice 

 blasts away their anxieties over nothing being certain anymore 

Ultimate WHEN EVERYONE WENT DISCO playlist.

1. Kiss--I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU
2. James Taylor--DAY TRIPPER
3. Cheap Trick--GONNA RAISE HELL
4. Elton John--VICTIM OF LOVE
5. The Rolling Stones--MISS YOU
6. Dolly Parton--BABY I'M BURNIN'
7. Paul McCartney and Wings--GOODNIGHT TONIGHT
8. Barbra Streisand--THE MAIN EVENT
9. Ethel Merman--I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU (1979)
10. George Jones--I AIN'T GOT NO BUSINESS DOIN' BUSINESS TODAY

11. Daryl Hall & John Oates—PORTABLE RADIO

12. The Rolling Stones—EMOTIONAL RESCUE

13. Barry Manilow—COPACABANA

14. Jack Jones—WIVES AND LOVERS (1979)

15. Isaac Hayes—DON’T LET GO

16. Frank Sinatra—NIGHT AND DAY (1977)

17. The Beach Boys—HERE COMES THE NIGHT (1979)

18. Aretha Franklin—IT’S GONNA GET A BIT BETTER 

19. Daryl Hall and John Oates—BEBOP DROP
20. David Naughton—MAKIN’ IT
21. J. Geils Band—COME BACK

Audio Poem: Fleetwood Mac 77

Here’s another venture into spoken word recording via SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/terry-mccarty-92671538/fleetwood-mac-77

Passing along information re books by rock author Ken Sharp.

Printing this e-mail in its entirety:

Greetings!

Please help me to "Play On"... 

Working on a new album and really excited by our progress but trying to keep it going is a tough haul financially...

Here's how you can help...Come check out my web site, www.ken-sharp.com for a selection of my books and email me at sharpk@aol.com if interested in any of them. These include all three volumes of my sold out "Play On! Power Pop Heroes" volumes, the sold out Cheap Trick book and others.

Many are now officially sold out and but I have a small batch of personal copies and will make them available for what they sold for plus shipping.

I also have a few softback/hardback copies of "Eric Carmen: Marathon Man," a biography I co-penned on Eric, which sells for ridiculous money on ebay; one copy is up for sale at over $900. These are both signed and unsigned by Eric.

All proceeds will go toward offsetting the cost of recording new songs for my album...

I'd be grateful if you'd consider sharing this info with any like minded music fans.

Thanks for all.

Best Regards,

Ken

The Los Angeles 70s playlist.

1. Fountain Of Sorrow--Jackson Browne
2. FM--Steely Dan
3. LA Serenade--Livingston Taylor
4. Come Monday--Jimmy Buffett
5. Someone To Lay Down Beside Me--Linda Ronstadt
6. Use Me--Bill Withers
7. Different Drum--Michael Nesmith
8. Why Can't We Be Friends?--War
9. Best Of My Love--The Eagles
10. Breakaway--Art Garfunkel
11. Tenderness On The Block--Warren Zevon
12. Just A Song Before I Go--CSN
13. You're Only Lonely--J.D. Souther

The Glenn Frey playlist--Eagles and solo.

1. Take It Easy
2. Peaceful Easy Feeling
3. Best Of My Love
4. Lyin' Eyes
5. Tequila Sunrise
6. New Kid In Town
7. Smugglers Blues
8. The Heat Is On
9. You Belong To The City
10. Soul Searching
11. Part Of Me, Part Of You

Playlist: 20 GREATEST FERN BAR HITS: 1975-1980.

Here's the definition of "fern bar" according to Wikipedia:
Fern bar was an American slang term for an upscale or preppy (or yuppie) bar or tavern catering to singles usually decorated with ferns or other greenery, as well as such decor as fake Tiffany lamps. The phrase came into common use in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

1. WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES--The Doobie Brothers
2. THE PINA COLADA SONG--Rupert Holmes
3. LOVE WILL FIND A WAY--Pablo Cruise
4. LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT--Barry Manilow
5. REAL LOVE--The Doobie Brothers
6. RIDE LIKE THE WIND--Christopher Cross
7. BABY COME BACK--Player
8. THIS IS IT--Kenny Loggins
9. HOW MUCH I FEEL--Ambrosia
10. IMAGINARY LOVER--Atlanta Rhythm Section
11. FEELINGS--Morris Albert
12. COPACABANA (AT THE COPA)--Barry Manilow
13. LOTTA LOVE--Nicolette Larson
14. LOVE TAKES TIME--Orleans
15. WHENEVER I CALL YOU "FRIEND"--Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks
16. DON'T GIVE UP ON US--David Soul
17. ALL BY MYSELF--Eric Carmen
18. I JUST WANNA STOP--Gino Vannelli
19. LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME--Boz Scaggs
20. PEG--Steely Dan

Playlist: THE BEST OF JAMES TAYLOR 1985-2015

Highlighting the best of an increasingly uneven, mostly complacent three decades:
1. That's Why I'm Here
2. Song For You So Far Away
3. Only A Dream In Rio
4. Never Die Young
5. Copperline
6. The Frozen Man
7. Slap Leather
8. Shed A Little Light
9. Line 'Em Up
10. Enough To Be On Your Way
11. Stretch Of The Highway
12. Far Afghanistan

Playlist WHEN EVERYONE WENT DISCO Volume 2

1. Portable Radio--Daryl Hall & John Oates
2. Come Back--The J. Geils Band
3. Emotional Rescue--The Rolling Stones
4. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy--Rod Stewart
5. Dancin' Fool--Frank Zappa
6. Gonna Get Ya--Pete Townshend
7. Bebop/Drop--Daryl Hall & John Oates
8. In And Out Of Your Heart--Kenny Rogers

WHEN EVERYONE WENT DISCO playlist.

1. Kiss--I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU
2. James Taylor--DAY TRIPPER
3. Cheap Trick--GONNA RAISE HELL
4. Elton John--VICTIM OF LOVE
5.  The Rolling Stones--MISS YOU
6.  Dolly Parton--BABY I'M BURNIN'
7. Paul McCartney and Wings--GOODNIGHT TONIGHT
8. Barbra Streisand--THE MAIN EVENT
9. Ethel Merman--I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU (1979)
10. George Jones--I AIN'T GOT NO BUSINESS DOIN' BUSINESS TODAY

Peter Frampton and cell-phone concert videos: a contrarian view.

Today, this bit of News Trivia went viral:
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/peter-frampton-throws-cell-phone/

I'm aware that the "fan" was obnoxious enough for Peter Frampton to put him on the Cannot Call cell phone plan.  And I'm also cognizant that Frampton and his management (and perhaps the venue) didn't want video taken at the concert.

But I think Peter Frampton shot himself in the metaphorical foot.

With the physical recording market becoming more niche and downloads giving way to pay-per-month music streaming services, artists need to make the bulk of their money on the road.

Though it may pain Frampton to look out into the audience and see cell phones instead of raised cigarette lighters (particularly in the post-FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE superstardom period of 1976-77), fan-shot concert videos are his best, cost-free-to-him, mode of advertising.

A typical YouTube user may see a snippet of a recent Frampton concert and buy a ticket for a future show.

And--who knows?  The fan may actually enjoy the show so much he/she forgets to take out his/her phone.

RIP singer/songwriter Sammy Johns.

Sammy Johns' mid-70s hit "Chevy Van" is probably (along with Alan O'Day's "Undercover Angel") the quintessential display of the era's male adolescent sexual fantasies on the AM-radio Top 40 format.

Here's the Sammy Johns Wikipedia biography:
http://rol.st/X63exb