A Christmas Surprise!

When I was little, my next-door neighbor had this children’s Christmas Storybook about Santa Claus getting ready for the Holiday, and I remember reading it and just being CAPTIVATED by this one particular picture of Santa Claus working in his Candy workshop. Shelves of candy and Goodies hung in the back, and I remember just staring and staring at that picture and all the wonderfully magical feelings it gave me!

 Growing Up I’ve always wanted to get ahold of that book, but as Christmas Storybooks are a dime a dozen, I had no way of knowing which one it exactly was. All I remembered (beside that mesmerizing picture) was that it was a small book, most likely a “Little Golden Book”, but even THERE, they had dozens of Christmas themed stories!

 One day someone on reddit named HappyTrails1 uploaded pics of their HUGE and COMPLETE collection of vintage Little Golden Books and generously offered to upload images on any book we were nostalgic about and wanted to see again.

Happytrails1's HUGE Little Golden Book Collection

 I immediately replied that I was looking for a certain Christmas book that I THINK was a Little Golden Book, and then described the Candy Workshop picture. 

I even got onto imgur and tried to sketch what little my memory had of that magical image. This is what I came up with:

 Very vague, I know, but what do you know, the amazing HappyTrails23 DID recognize the story and in an hour or so, uploaded the images to a Little Golden Book called “Santa’s Surprise Book” and with a note saying “You have a good memory!”, uploaded the Candy Workshop picture I’d been dreaming of for so long now:

HOLY COW, I was blown away, soooo many memories came rushing back, of being a kid back at the old apartment, Christmas with my parents and siblings, and WOW, that magic time in you life when you still BELIEVE!

Now armed with the actual TITLE of the book I’d been searching for for a lifetime, I immediately went onto ebay to see if anyone had it up for sale, and luckily, there were a bunch of folks selling ’em! Though some were copies in pristine condition, I saw a beat up copy from 1966 and I just knew that that was the one I had to have, it just FELT like the book from my childhood!

Thanks to Happytrails1 I happily have this cherished childhood memory once again in my possession!

Batman & Superman: From the 30's to the 70's

 Though I enjoyed reading the exploits of Batman (and Robin)  as a kid, it wasn't until High School that got re-invested in the Gotham Vigilante (thanks in particular to the three-issue mini-series The Untold Legend of Batman) and began collecting the series anew!

Such was my passion that it caught the eye of a classmate and friend named Terry, who told me "You like Batman? I have this old hardcover book full of Batman stories I could give you!" I gratefully accepted and the next day he brought this heavy, dusty tome to class for me:

The book was called Batman: From the 30's to the 70, and though well-worn and obviously well-read, I was delighted to have it, and it was this that introduced me to all the classic stories of the golden age of Batman, from his introduction in Detective Comics to his first solo outing, to the early days, campy years, and dark, brooding re-imagining via Neal Adams, it covered it ALL, and it became a real "Bible" for me!

Funny, in all those years of cherishing that Batman bible, I never knew what the actual cover looked like since the dust jacket had long disappeared even before I ever got it, and I just assumed the cover to be plain yellow as well! It wasn't until the age of the internet that I looked up "Batman from the 30's to the 70's" and saw it had quite a striking cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson:

Very cool, but I had SUCH sentimental attachment to my worn coverless book that I felt no real need to "replace" it, and still feel it today!

Terry mentioned that there was a Superman version as well, and though I didn't like Superman half as much as I did Batman, I did make a sort of mental note to look for it in the used bookstores if only to "complete" my set! 

With the arrival of ebay, there were many, many dealers ready to sell the Superman Book- the only problem is, I felt it would look weird to have the Superman book with a dust-jacket next to my coverless worn book on the shelf... so in the end, I found someone selling a beat-up worn coverless copy of the Superman Book as well!!!! Just arrived the other week, and just as predicted, this wonderfully worn book matched PERFECTLY next to the Batman book on my shelf, and makes a nice set!

And Just like the Batman collection before, this Superman one gave me a solid history lesson on the Man of Steel himself, one I pored over slowly throughout the week!

MAN, these are such great collections, would LOVE to see other heroes get the same treatment, however I suppose a large part of its charm is the way it's spread across so many decades (as the title says, from 1930s to 1970s) and not many other heroes can boast such a legacy!!!

Such is the enduring strength of Batman and Superman, BOTH of whom remain as relevant and popular today as they did all those years past!

My Comic Book Nook

 In the far corner of my room where I keep all my Comics, magazines and books, I saved two shelf spaces dedicated to keeping the vibe and spirit of my original book shelf back when I was a kid collecting, so its main focus is on those MARVEL books and paperbacks of the time, as well as magazines and comics from then as well!

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

 Have always been a fan of Sci-Fi author Douglas Adams since his wonderful "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" series, and when his newest book  "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" came out in 1987, me and all my sci-fi aficionados in school made sure to grab it!

As I had not grown up with Hitchhiker's Guide, I've always had a sentimental attachment to Dirk Gently since it was the first one I read in "real time", and found it as wonderfully witty and silly  as Hitchhiker had ever been!

The "Horse in the Bathroom" scene is still one of my favorite passages, and as a Beatles fan, the DIALOG was simply chef's kiss!

"A Horse?" repeated Richard.

"Yes," said Reg.

Richard went out and looked up the stairs and then came back in.

"A HORSE?" he said again.

"Yes it is," said the Professor. "Wait—" he motioned to Richard, who was about to go out again and investigate— "let it be. It won’t be long."

Richard stared in disbelief. "You say there’s a horse in your bathroom, and all you can do is stand there naming Beatles songs?"

The Professor looked blankly at him.

"Listen," he said, "I'm sorry if...I alarmed you earlier, it was just a slight turn. These things happen, my dear fellow, don't upset yourself about it. Dear me, I've known odder things in my time. Many of them. Far odder. She's only a horse, for heaven's sake. I'll go and let her out later. Please don't concern yourself. Let us revive our spirits with some port."

"But...how did it get in there?"

"Well, the bathroom window's open. I expect she came in through that."

Richard looked at him, not for the first and certainly not for the last time, through eyes that were narrowed with suspicion.

"You're doing it deliberately, aren't you?!" he said.

Oh My GOSH, I remember reading this and cracking up out loud! "Yes It Is", "Wait", Let It Be", "It Won't Be Long", I did not even realize they were Beatles titles til Richard pointed it out, and when I re-read it, I was DYING! 

I remember trying to memorize the exact dialog to repeat to my friends the next day, it was so cool how Adams stung together those Beatles titles together! Just more wit out of the mind of Douglas Adams!

"Once In Every Lifetime...!" The Young Ones Theme Song

As someone who has loved the BBC comedy series THE YOUNG ONES since first discovering it back in High School in the mid-eighties, I was completely FLABBERGASTED to discover that that wonderfully rascally and punky theme song to the show (which seemed such a perfect summation of the show itself)  was in fact a COVER of a 1961 Cliff Richard tune of the same name! WHAAAAT!

   

I always knew that the series had an odd fascination to Cliff Richard, either in jokes or even  as the cause of their ultimate demise in the final episode (when the lads crash into a Cliff Richard billboard), but to watch old video of Cliff Richard singing the Young Ones theme song is simply surreal, especially when he gets to the “Once in every lifetime…” part, which I associate SO MUCH with Vyvyan, Neil, Rick and Mike!

Well, you can color me stunned!

Me and You And Everyone You Know: Rhea Seehorn VS The Mob in "Pluribus"

 Just watched the first two episodes of the new Psychological Sci-fi series “PLURIBUS” on AppleTV. From “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan, this show follows Better Call Saul alumnus Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, a writer of bodice-ripper romance books who, when a strange virus takes over the earth and turns everyone into happy-go-lucky zombies, becomes one of the only people in the entire world who seems be unaffected!

Speaking to a selected figurehead who speaks for the hive-mind collective, they tell her that they do not know why she alone hasn’t been affected by the virus, but tells her that they are working to remedy the situation! “But what if I say No?” she asks, to which they assure her that once she experiences all the mind collective can give her, she will accept willingly.

And so it is that the fate of the world lies on the back of one grumpy romance writer who races against time to seeks out a solution and remedy for the situation before they can eventually turn her into one of them!

Holy Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Batman! It’s stories like this that remind us that though he’s more famous for his Breaking Bad and Better call Saul credits, most of us first knew Vince Gilligan as an awesome writer for the X-Files! And on that note, I’m expecting some exciting plots and twists as the show goes on!

PS: When watching the show, I couldn't help but think of the Rick and Morty episode "Auto-Erotic Assimilation", a terrific episode which I gushed about here, and going online afterwards, it seems there were others who thought so, too!

All-Time Favorite Artists: Tanya Donelly

 It’s time I sang my praises to Alt-Rock Singer/Songwriter Tanya Donelly on this blog- Heaven knows even since first discovering her in the mid 1990’s she’s captivated me time and time again with her wondrous chords and rhymes, and she has gone on to become one of my big, ALL TIME favorite female artists ever!

March 1988: 

Throwing Muses “Juno”

 

From such small sparks! My very first exposure to Tanya was in 1988 watching MTV’s “120 Minutes” where they featured a video for Throwing Muses and their eclectic song “Juno”.  I liked the song enough to tape it off the TV to watch again, but not quite enough to go out and buy it (yet)...Little did I know that girl guitarist featured in that grainy black and white video would one day become one of my favorite musicians ever!

May 1990:

Breeders “Pod” Album

Strictly speaking, this is the first “Tanya Donelly” album I ever bought, though it’s not really representative of her music since her input here is virtually nil compared to Kim Deal. Still, there are some great songs here and I got to see Tanya a bit more clearly this time, in their music video for “Hellbound”…

November 1991: 

Throwing Muses “Not Too Soon”

My friend James, who turned me on to MUCH of my music in the early years, made me an alt mix tape featuring, among others, an absolutely ROCKING swinging song from Throwing Muses called “Not Too Soon”- my FIRST listen to a Tanya-penned/sung song at last, and My GOSH, did I LOVE it!!! Jangly Power-Pop but with SUCH a HOOK!

April 1992 

Breeders “Safari” EP

Tanya makes her second and final appearance on a BREEDERS album, this time the EP “Safari” with its “Paranoid” homage video. At this point Tanya was already one foot out the door, but it was a worthwhile stint while it lasted- I really love their take on the WHO song “So Sad About Us” on this EP…so good!

June 1992: 

Belly: “Dusted”

My co-worker Steve Tu, who introduced me to such other greats as LUSH, COCTEAU TWINS and SAINT ETIENNE, came to work one day with a brand new EP called “Slow Dust” from a new group called BELLY. Little did I know this was the brand new band from TANYA!!!

Girl was FINALLY Steppin' Out on her OWN!!!

The lead track “Dusted”  was not only introduced to me by Steve, but was ALSO put on the latest mix given to me from James- great minds truly think alike! And such a bass driven groover of a song, too! The sign of things to come!!!

January 1993: 

Belly: “Star” Album

And here it is! This is the album that BLEW open the DOORS for me and turned Tanya Donelly from an act I merely liked into a full-blown FAN! And not just me- for awhile there, it was as if everyone was talking about this album, thanks in no small part due to the power of its amazing lead single "Feed the Tree"! Back then, MTV used to have this rotating feature called "Buzz Clips" showcasing the "hot' songs of the month, and Feed the Tree was the lead for weeks...and for good reason- ths song was soooo good!!

Feed The Tree, Geppetto, and a newly-recorded version of "Dusted", this album was a solid 10/10 for me, and from this point on, I had to grab every album and track of hers I could get my hands on...and there was a LOT! 4AD had this wonderful knack of releasing the singles as EPs with bonus songs on them, so even if you had the album, you still needed to grab the singles or you’d miss out!

Belly "Star" EPs:

“Slow Dust” EP

“Gepetto” EP

“Feed The Tree” EP

My craze for Tanya could not be stopped, and it was time I went back and took a good listen to that act that first introduced me to her, Throwing Muses! I grabbed the three albums I could find, House Tornado (With the song Juno), Hunkpapa, and "The Real Ramona"... - The first EP was not available on CD til much later for some reason, but I devoured the ones I could get!!

Throwing Muses:

“House Tornado”

“Hunkpapa”

“The Real Ramona”

At this time, there began a new mail-order video subscription service called " Rock Video Monthly ",  and on its very first release, was a wonderful music video Belly did for "Gepetto". 

This was the original video with just Tanya, Tom and Chris and I'm not going to lie: Tanya was SO freaking PRETTY in this video that I fell HARD for her, true "Head Over Heels" in LOVE with her,  helping fuel what was already an obsession into true FANATICISM!

By the time Belly actually got around to releasing Geppetto as a single, Gail Greenwood had joined so they shot an all-new video for it as a foursome, which, though good, is nowhere near as sweet and charming as the original, at least in MY opnion!

This Mortal Coil: "You And Your Sister"

Besides being the guy who first introduced me to Belly, Steve also introduced me to a wonderful

Kim Deal/ Tanya Donelly collaboration off the amazing This Mortal Coil album Blood, the gentle "You And Your Sister", MAN do their voices sound SWEET duetting like this...wish there were more collaborative songs like THIS on the Breeders Pod album!

1993: 

Belly: Baby Silvertooth 

After scrambling to get all those EPs and their elusive B-sides, Japan released this fine collection “Baby Silvertooth” collecting all the non-album tracks. Nice to have it all on one disc!

A Note on Live TV Performances

I must mention that one GREAT thing about this time period in music was all the great television shows that showcased live acts like 120 Minutes, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien  and especially the new “Jon Stewart Show” which featured almost exclusively alternative acts like Belly! Must say I got to see SO MANY great Belly performances of songs from Star played live, and it only made me love the album even MORE!

February 1995 

Belly: “King”

Lucky there was so much to hear and see regarding Belly in the months that followed for it would be a whole two years til we got our follow up album...but what a follow up it was! With the addition of Gail Greenwood on bass, Belly became a more rock-oriented jammer, and Holy CRAP did this album deliver! Such bangers that you just HAD to crank it up! Me and my friend Herb particularly loved singing along to this one! And along with the album came the EPs with some terrific bonus songs as well!! Below: Belly on Conan doing the kickbutt "Now They'll Sleep"!

"King" EPs:

“Now They’ll Sleep” EP

“Seal My Fate” EP 1

“Seal My Fate” EP 2

June 1994:

Belly: "Moon" EP

Belly contributed a lively performance of Jimi Hendrix's "Are Your Experienced?" for the STONE FREE Tribute album,  but we were able to get it with the "Moon" EP which served as a single for "Full Moon Empty Heart" (and also featured a fun cover of Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual"!!)

Tanya and the Gang appeared on the Tonight Show  in February to promote Stone Free and did a red hot performance of Are You Experienced? that is still a BIG fave of mine to watch!!!

May 31,1995: 

See Tanya and Belly in CONCERT!!!

WHOOHOOO Had one of my wishes come true this day when Tanya and the gang came down to Hawaii to perform at the AFTER DARK for us!!! YESSS! Must say, the mid-90's were a great time for Alt Rock Acts as many appeared at the After Dark (later Nimitz Hall) and BELLY was one I was REALLY crossing my fingers to see! So excited, we got their early so we could sit outside and listen to Belly doing their soundcheck and warm-up,  something  I rarely do but just HAD to for this! And of course when it came time for showtime, they kicked it outta the ballpark,  the show ROCKED the HOUSE!

PS: Unfortunately I have no pics of this show, so here's a pic from a similar performance from the same 1995 KING Tour!

December 1995

Tanya Donelly and Juliana Hatfield "Josie and the Pussycats"

Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits!

Juliana Hatfield had joined Tanya before for a great cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers song "Hot Burrito #1" on Belly's Gepetto EP, and they team up again for the fun "Josie and The Pussycats" for the Saturday Morning Cartoons Tribute Album!

September 1997: 

Tanya Donelly: “Lovesongs For Underdogs”

Tanya’s genius creativity continues in her first solo outing without missing a step, and in fact is so seamless a transition that I sometimes forget these aren’t Belly songs! An AWESOME album from Tanya, and at times I might even say it's her very BEST- the one that clearly showcases her artistic style, with so many variations of styles, rockers, ballads, droning and jangly, it's all so great! "One ya gotta BLAST and sing with at the top of your lungs"!!!

“Pretty Deep” EP A

“Pretty Deep” EP B

“The Bright Light” EP A

“The Bright Light” EP B

“Sliding and Diving”EP

Tany always has the most amazing B-sides, and The Bright Light Eps feature a few BIG faves of mine, "Bury My Heart", the dreamy "Life on Sirius" and the sublime "Moon Over Boston", just SUPERB tracks....

7 inch Single: Pretty Deep/Vanilla

4AD had this thing they would sometimes do where they would release a special vinyl-only 7 inch single releases, where the only way you could get it was to buy the actual 45 record, adn of COURSE these songs were always AWESOME! Breeders did it with "Head To Toe", Lush had a terrific song called "Sweetie", and now Tanya had one, with the amazingly fun and OH SO CATCHY "Vanilla" as the B-side to the Pretty Deep vinyl 45!

1998: 

Throwing Muses: “In A Doghouse”

I had mentioned before how I couldn’t get ahold of a CD version of Throwing Muses first album, but this was happily and FINALLY rectified in 1998 when 4AD released “In a Doghouse”, collecting all the Muses’ early works, including the first album, the “Chains Changed” EP and the “In a Doghouse” cassette. They even included a quicktime video of “Fish”, very futuristic at the time, HAHAHA

Kristen and Tanya in glorious grainy B&W for "Fish"

February 2002 

Tanya Donelly: “Beautysleep”

Tanya gets experimental in her second solo album which seems very avante garde and feels like a sort of concept album about her experience conceiving and having a child? Or am I reading too much into these songs? More moody and introspective than her previous album, but sweet and dreamy as well! “Keeping You” is a real gem.

March 2003:

Throwing Muses: Throwing Muses

It's an original Line up slight return for the Muses as both Tanya and David Narcizo joined Kristin for this 2003 release! I had high hopes for this album, however I have to admit I was a bit disappointed that Tanya didn't write or co-write any songs on it. Yeah, I know Tanya was allotted only one or two songs per album even back in the day, but woulda been cool to hear a real modern-day collab. Still, was nice to hear the sisters singing together again!

July 2004:

Tanya Donelly:  Whisky Tango Ghosts

Tanya goes “unplugged” in this stripped-down mostly acoustic set. In most of her earlier rock releases she’d close the album with these softer introspective songs like “Stay" or “Manna”, really dreamy wistful tunes. And for those who love those kind of songs, Whisky Tango Ghosts is a whole album done in this vibe!  A particular fave is the Neil Young flavored “Fallout” which sound like it could have come right off ”Harvest”!

Oct 2006 

Tanya Donelly: “This Hungry Life”

Here's a neat concpet: An album of all-new music recorded live in front of a small audience, for a nice intimate vibe. A return to form for Tanya as some of the songs here sound very Belly-ish, though decidedly country flavored! Fave songs include the opening "New England" and the closer "River Girls" ..also a nice cover of the lesser-known George Harrison Beatles song "Long Long Long".

2013: 

Tanya Donelly: “Swan Song Series ”

Oh MAN,  is THIS a Tanya lovers DREAM or what?  Five (FIVE!) EPs of new Tanya Donelly material, and though they were initially released one at a time, by the time I heard of it and put in my order on her site, it was already completed, 5 EPs of music (and four bonus tracks besides!)  this was  one which took me MONTHS to pore through and even to this day when I listen to them, there are still songs that surprise me like rooms in a mansion you’ve yet to really explore! Some really great tunes here!

May 2018 

Belly: “Dove”

And if that 5 disc tome of Tanya goodness wasn’t enough to get me through the years, in May of 2018 we got a BIG wish granted- the reunion of Belly and a whole freakin’ new ALBUM!

The album “Dove” proves that Tanya is the master of her genre, and listening to the tunes here, it’s like Belly never left- so damn great, rocking, winsome and catchy, everything that reminds me just why I love her/them so much!

I remember one time specifically driving with a friend with Dove playing, and the song “Stars Align” came on. I was so overwhelmed by how awesome this song is, I jsut HAD to lean over and gush, “Did I even mention how I think Tanya Donelly is one of the greatest singer soongwriters of all time?!! MAN is she GREAT!”, to which my friend chuckled and said, ‘yeah, I think you’ve mentioned that a time or two!”

My autographed copy

2020 

Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters

Always keeping us on out toes and never knowing what to expect next, we have this great collaborative project with Tanya teaming up with the Parkington Sisters to give us a wonderful Folk/Bluegrassy cover album of some of Tanya’s favorite songs! A fave is their take on the Paul McCartney classic "Let Me Roll It"! 

Oh, and once again American Laundromat Records hooks us up with limited edition autographed copies, of which I grabbed immediately:

2022 

The Loyal Seas:  “Strange Mornings in the Garden”

“Tanya music for the new generation” is how my friend described this album, and I can somewhat hear what he means as this collaboration between Tanya and Brian Sullivan of Dylan at the Movies is very modern sounding, but make no mistake, it’s all pure Tanya goodness!

Never heard Dylan at the Movies before, but Brian's lush voice complements Tanya's so wonderfully, they create some really dreamy sounds together...very smooth and relaxing!

My autographed copy

MY TANYA DONELLY COLLECTION

as of 10/25

Over the years I think I've amassed a nice little Tanya Donelly Collection,  of which I now am proud to share here!

1.

CDs I have of acts which Tanya was a part of like Throwing Muses and Breeders.

I have more from these groups, but these are the albums which Tanya appears in.

2. 

Belly CDs 

The Albums and EPs from Belly I own. Plus a few Bootlegs just for fun!

3. 

Tanya Donelly Solo Ventures, Recent Projects

Including Her Collab with the Parkington Sisters and the Loyal Seas

4.

Magazines!

Must say Tanya and Belly rarely made the covers of magazines, so when they DID, I had to grab 'em FAST!

5. Magazine Articles and Pictorials

A handful of articles I've saved and cherished from back in the day!

6.

Wall Posters!

My Promotional Wall Posters, Album Flats

...and the two posters hanging in my Hallway!

As you can see, one poster is from STAR and the other promoting KING!

8.

Video

And lastly, a few videos I have, the aforementioned "Alternative Rock Video" tape and two great BELLY Bootlegs (ah remember those?), one from the WHFS 99.1 Festival 1993 and Pittsburgh 1993.

Nowadays you can find these concerts on youtube and the like, back in the day ya had to get 'em by mail-order...but it was worth it for such great shows!!

That's what I've got at the moment, but I'm sure there will be lots more in the future!

Driving home from work with the Loyal Seas album blasting on the deck the other day, it never ceases to amaze me how  year after year Tanya Donelly continues to wow and surprise me with every new release of hers, with new and catchy tunes that seem to come so effortlessly from her hands! Been loving it all and of course am eager to hear what she plans to do next!

BTW, I can’t wrap this post up without mentioning a sweet little thrill I had on twitter back in 2022: Tanya was reflecting back on her amazing debut album "Lovesongs For Underdogs"! and I just HAD to chime in on how much I loved that album and loved blasting and singing along to it! Imagine my surprise when I noticed the next day that she had "liked" my comment!! WHOOHOO

Holding my phone out, I gasped to my friends, “LOOK, I was noticed by the QUEEN!”,  to which they all laughed and nodded in agreement! The Queen indeed!