May 28, 2010

BO WEEK: HEY BO DIDDLEY

Today Bo Week goes super live with Bo and The Duchess pumping out a ruckus versions of Hey Bo Diddley. Check out the camera work around 1:30. Bo is the man! The Duchess and the gals then start a groovy dance as the band goes into Bo Diddley. The hypnotic rhythm and monotone costuming from the stage is a cool counterpoint to the crazy dynamics in the audience. Like those familiar scenes from Beatles concerts, you will see 60s teens wrapped in a chaos of fashions and liberated by the music. I love seeing this band at work. The dual Space Age guitars and slick choreography are only the tip of a very deep, primal, and rowdy iceberg.

AMAZON SALE

Amazon is running a Father's Day spotlight sale on film/TV discs and box sets. In the Classic Television section, you'll find Spy Vibe faves (Honey West, Mission Impossible, Wild Wild West, Mannix, Hawaii Five-O, The Baron, etc), as well as other retro fun (Twilight Zone, Doctor Who, Combat, Have Gun Will Travel, Rawhide, Hogan's Heroes, Ba Ba Black Sheep, etc). The Blu-ray list offers many cool titles for fans who like their retro-style adventure in Hi-def (The African Queen, Robin Hood, Magnificent Seven, 2001, V For Vendetta, and the Mid-Century Modern Mad Men).

May 27, 2010

BO WEEK: ROAD RUNNER

Earlier this week you met Bo Diddley and The Duchess as they ripped it up for Hollywood A Go Go in 1965 with their Space Age guitars. Bo Week continues today with the dynamic duo strumming out their contagious rhythm for a live audience with the classic cartoon-inspired hit, Road Runner!

May 26, 2010

BO WEEK: SPACE AGE GUITARS

Bo Week continues with another performance on Hollywood A Go Go from 1965. In this clip, Bo and The Duchess run us through a hot (lip synced) version of Let Me Pass. In the spirit of the Space Age, Bo designed a trilogy of futuristic guitars. I've read that he worked with a Gretsch production man named Giulliano in White Plains, NY. They used Gretsch necks, hence the company logo on the head stocks, but the bodies were custom made for Bo. His famous "Box" version has been called minimalist modern art. Bo also played the "Jupiter Thunderbird" and a "Cadillac" Fin-inspired axe that we see in many promotional photographs and performances. Bo's Space Age guitar trilogy continues to influence various production models and they are a special passion for contemporary designer, Ed Roman. Gretsch now produces signature editions of both the Box and Jupiter guitars, including a short-scale Box called the "Mini Diddley!" Images below of the three designs (Box, Jupiter, Cadillac), followed by Bo and The Duchess ripping it up for 1965 TV.




May 25, 2010

BO WEEK: MEET BO DIDDLEY & THE DUCHESS

Elias McDaniel (1928-2008) moved from Mississippi up to Chicago as a young boy, where childhood pals gave him the nickname "Bo Diddley." The name stuck as a moniker through some early years as a fighter and onto the stage as a musician. Bo dreamed about pounding out traditional drum patterns and, inspired by John Lee Hooker, soon took to the guitar as a percussive instrument. This was the era in Chicago when Chess and VeeJay were pumping the airwaves with the sounds of John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Jimmy Reed, and newcomer Chuck Berry. Bo knew that he couldn't do what they did on the guitar, so he went back into his corner (as he puts it in interviews) and figured out his own trade-mark approach to playing. That drummer instinct came through strong and we have what is now commonly called "The Bo Diddley Beat" - a Rumba-style rhythm that added the Hambone playfulness of banging out beats and rhymes.


MEET THE DUCHESS
Bo's side-guitar player left for the service in 1956 and was replaced by a female musician named Peggy Jones ("Lady Bo"). She established a swinging stage vibe with Bo Diddley and is known as one of the first female lead guitarists. The uncommon site of their male/female act, accentuated by the two rectangular guitars, was quite sizzling (and even erotic). Lady Bo was replaced in 1962 by Norma-Jean Wofford ("The Duchess"), who continued to boogie with Diddley as a rocking lady strummer. Together they made quite a few television appearances between 1962-1966 that captured their contagious, throbbing beat and cool moves- not to mention the stage-side Go Go dancers and teen audience! Join Spy Vibe for a week of hot shows by Bo Diddley & The Duchess!


To hear the seminal recordings by Bo Diddley (with Lady Bo, The Duchess, Billy Boy Arnold, and others), check out the three-volume box set series by Hip O Select. See the Official Bo website here for more information about the Bo's career. Today's clip: Bo Diddley from Hollywood A Go Go 1965. (Photos: Getty Images)


May 23, 2010

JEANNIE & THE BIG GUYS

Jeannie and the Big Guys I Want You (1964) is cool for this Op Art and Mod-influenced video of 1960s graphics. ModCentric quotes the All Music Guide: "Jeannie and the Big Guys were a Chester quintet, originally called Four Hits & A Miss, the "Miss" being teenaged lead singer Rita Hughes, the daughter of a Chester pub owner, who fronted the group as lead singer for a year or so. As Four Hits and A Miss, their repertory included songs like "Lullaby of Birdland." They became the hottest group in Chester and were signed to Pye in 1963, when Hughes was 17, changing their name to Jeannie and the Big Guys in the process. They cut "Boys" by the Shirelles, which they'd likely heard the Beatles perform, and "Sticks and Stones," an old Ray Charles number, but saw no chart action." Despite their somewhat forgettable sound, it is fun to hear a lesser-known band of the era, check out the graphics, and to set us up for some hotter acts.

May 19, 2010

MODS & WOODSTOCK

MODS & WOODSTOCK
Two sales going on that Spy Vibers may be interested in. Liam Gallahger (Oasis) was recently in our news regarding a new Beatles-related film project. He's made a further statement that his new band will be doing the soundtrack as well! Liam's 1960s Mod-inspired fashion company is currently having a 30% off sale. Visit Pretty Green for more info. And for those of you who like your 60s style with a large dose of counter-culture, Amazon has the Blu-ray Ultimate Collector's Edition of the Woodstock concerts in their Gold Box today for $26.99 (SALE ENDED).

May 12, 2010

JASON WHITON YOKO ONO SCREENING

JASON WHITON YOKO ONO SCREENING
My experimental film and remix for Yoko Ono, The Sun is Down, is an Official Selection for the Park City Film Music Festival. The film's big screen debut will be held at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City Utah on May 22 at 6PM (my birthday- great timing!). "The Sun is Down- very cool!"- Park City Film Music Festival. More information about film and other projects at JasonWhiton.com.

May 9, 2010

BEATLES FILM FROM LIAM GALLAGHER

BEATLES FILM FROM LIAM GALLAGHER
The style of Swinging London and the spirit of The Beatles has often echoed through the work of Liam Gallagher. During the Oasis years with brother Noel (1991-2009), the band's Fab covers included
I Am the Walrus (The Masterplan/1998), You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (Some Might Say/1995), and Helter Skelter (Familiar to Millions/2000). Liam worked with Yoko Ono to include an excerpt of John Lennon's voice in his haunting song I'm Outta Time on the final Oasis album (Dig Out Your Soul/2009). We've seen Beatles homage throughout the Oasis catalog with many poetic references to song lyrics and titles. Liam has carried the Beatles spirit into his design company, Pretty Green, which sports some great Fab-inspired clothing. Are these guys Beatles fans? When Liam had a son in 1999, he named the boy Lennon.


But before you dismiss Liam as an obsessed fan or Austin Powers for the music/fashion scene, remember that this is a man who can walk the walk. He does mine the 1960s and the Fabs for inspiration, but his output is snarling and honest. Liam is an artist with a powerfully personal voice- the world be damned. This is true in terms of his interpretive work. I was interested to learn that the BBC announced yesterday that Liam's film company, In 1 Productions, will be teaming up with Revolution Films to adapt a Beatles book for the big screen. The book,
The Longest Cocktail Party, was published by Playboy in 1973, and is Richard DiLello's look at the final years of The Beatles and the climate within the Beatles' company Apple. A spokesman for In 1 Productions said: "This will be a film with humour and affection, providing an insider's look at what it meant to be a young man caught up in the wild swirl of the music business, celebrities and the tail end of the swinging 60s in London." As Art imitates life and life imitates Art, perhaps this is Liam's way to creatively process the final unraveling of Oasis last year? Moving away from interpretation into docu-drama will be a new step. If the cameras roll as planned, I hope the film gives us honest, developed characters, as well as a stylish feast for fans of 1960s design.


May 8, 2010

GET SMART SALE- ENDED

GET SMART SALE
The Complete Get Smart series on sale today in Amazon's Gold Box. Details here.

May 5, 2010

BACHELOR PAD

BACHELOR PAD
From the typical musician's penthouse studio of early Hollywood films to the dream apartments of 1950s
Playboy magazine to Matt Helm's revolving bed (that tilts him into his pool!), we've seen some swinging pads in our day. Imagine a subterranean lair, like in Danger Diabolik, but with a Playboy Mansion slant. Lots of Ken Adam's curves and a Kubrick futuristic glow. Instead of the tilting bed, how about a tube that you can jump into- ala Thunderbirds- that slides you down into your pool below? You go it! Located in Bowdon, Cheshire UK, Country Life has it listed for a cool 2 million pounds. Check it out here.

May 1, 2010

GROOVE WEEK: LALO SCHIFRIN

GROOVE WEEK: LALO SCHIFRIN
When it comes to jazzy grooves for spies, it's hard to top the soundtrack music Lalo Schifrin wrote for Mission Impossible. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds himself humming the theme song when embarking on some new challenge or errand. Years ago I picked up the Mission Impossible Anthology (One Way Records/1994). Schifrin's cues are amazing and immediately evoke memories of various characters and moments from the show. There is something akin to illustration in this music, for it seems to tell a large part of the story aurally. But the track that sticks with me as most groovy is Mission Blues. I don't see it listed on the Best Of CD that is currently available, so I suggest Spy Vibers track down the CD or Vinyl release of the Anthology or the original 1969 More Mission Impossible record to get the full-range experience of the tune. The interplay between the bass and brass is funky and Spy Vibe cool!


April 29, 2010

GROOVE WEEK: NICOLA CONTE

GROOVE WEEK: NICOLA CONTE
Spy Vibe's Groove Week continues with Italian maestro, Nicola Conte. Conte's
Jet Sounds (2001) reintroduced retro soundtrack jazz to the masses when his song, Bossa Per Due, was picked up for auto commercial licensing spots. The album was remixed by Thievery Corporation and others for Jet Sounds Revisited (2002). That's where I entered the picture, standing at a listening kiosk at the HMV in Shibuya. I found myself taking the train over there just to hear Conte's incredible grooves. The third trip was the charm and it's been a fave CD ever since. Check out Nicola Conte's website to see some cool comic-style graphics and to hear samples of some of his projects since Jet Sounds.

April 28, 2010

GROOVE WEEK: RICHARD HOLMES

GROOVE WEEK: RICHARD HOLMES
Alan Hawkshaw (UK) and Jerry Van Rooyen (Netherlands) have been jamming away at Spy Vibe, but no groove week would be complete without organist, Richard "Groove" Holmes. "Groove" was born in New Jersey on May 2nd 1931, and hit the hard bop and soul jazz scene with his pulsating riffs in the early 1960s. He' s best known for his 1965 recording of the song Misty. After his passing in 1991, the Beastie Boys paid tribute with their organ-fueled tune Groove Holmes (Check Your Head/1992). Here is Groove's classic Down Home Funk from his 1974 Comin' On Home album. I love the gospel-style intro, and how the bass and keyboard lead us through a bluesy progression into jazz solos you wouldn't find in our usual fare of soundtrack music (Lalo Schifrin notwithstanding), and back again. Groove Holmes is a more recent discovery for me, found during one of those special moments when I heard something playing on the stereo at a local record shop that caught my attention- a great way to find new sounds. Spy Vibers, do you have fave musicians and/or albums that capture a groovy, Spy Vibe tone? Anyone else a fan of Vampyros Lesbos or Gert Wilden?


April 27, 2010

GROOVE WEEK: JERRY VAN ROOYEN

GROOVE WEEK: JERRY VAN ROOYEN
Spy Vibe's Groove Week began with Alan Hawkshaw over the weekend. The UK master now passes the torch over to a maestro from the Netherlands, Jerry Van Rooyen. Like Hawkshaw, Rooyen is known for his groovy soundtracks. Check out the compilation from Crippled Dick Hotwax,
At 250 Miles an Hour (available now on iTunes and Amazon download). Although I grew up with The 10th Victim soundtrack, I really hadn't explored Eurospy or crime soundtracks fully until the Lounge wave hit in the 1990s. It was a revelation to see Combustible Edison performing music by Mancini and Nino Rota, and an even greater impact when Hotwax began releasing their catalog. I'm a sucker for infectious keyboard riffs. They seem so fitting for retro crime/spy adventure! Here is Van Rooyen's The Great Bank Robbery.


April 25, 2010

FEMBOTS PREMIERE

FEMBOTS PREMIERE
Before the media world was infiltrated by sexy Fembots programmed for sabotage, assassination (and selling vodka), the first pop culture she-bot roamed the tunnels under Fritz Lang's Metropolis to bring political unrest to a boiling point. Kino International's Metropolis website has gone online, revealing first details of the theatrical re-release and Blu-ray edition of The Complete Metropolis, with 25 minutes of added footage. The film has its American premiere tonight at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, as part of the TCM Classic Film Festival, accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. The event will be introduced by TCM Film Historian Robert Osborne. A full run of the film is scheduled at Laemmle's Royal theater starting May 14. It will also screen in New York at the Film Forum from May 7, and at the Cleveland Museum of Art on May 21-23. A trailer of the restored version is available at the Metropolis website or at the Apple trailer site. The Blu-ray edition is scheduled for November.


April 24, 2010

GROOVE: ALAN HAWKSHAW PT.2

GROOVE: ALAN HAWKSHAW PT.2
Funky UK groove-master of the keyboards, Alan Hawkshaw, returns to keep the weekend party going at Spy Vibe. Here he is with the Mohawks with "Beat Me Till I'm Blue," a title that would fit right in with one of the fab Italian or German crime/jazz soundtrack compilations from Crippled Dick Hotwax. Track available on the album Mo'Hawk.
Movie clips show some fantastic set design from the 1968-1971 era. An Op Art intro moves into psychedelic oil/light projections and a number of groovy sets that play with minimal geometric shapes, colors, and a swinging bed (literally and figuratively). Enjoy!

April 23, 2010

GROOVE: ALAN HAWKSHAW

GROOVE: ALAN HAWKSHAW
British composer/arranger and session man, Alan Hawkshaw, is setting a cool groove at Spy Vibe today with "Girl At the Top."


April 20, 2010

GO APE WITH LEE PFEIFFER- ENDED

GO APE WITH LEE PFEIFFER- sale ended
Our Man Lee Pfeiffer of Cinema Retro Magazine put together outstanding bonus material for the Planet of the Apes Blu-ray collection, which includes all of the apes films in stunning resolution, a beautiful book and slipcase, and many supplemental features. For Spy Vibers who love a bit of sci fi, this is a must-have box set- on sale TODAY in Amazon's
Gold Box for $42.99!

April 19, 2010

BOND BOOK SERIES

BOND BOOK SERIES
The next Bond production is on hold as EON Productions navigates the uncertainties of MGM, but fans can look forward to a cool series of books coming up from DK Publishing, the guys that brought you the James Bond Encyclopedia. From Victoria Gallagher at The Bookseller:

Dorling Kindersley will be hoping its new James Bond book collection, which looks at all aspects of the secret agent, from his Aston Martin to his bevy of beautiful women, will seduce readers. The first two titles will be published on 3rd May in paperback. The Book of Bond- the Style, the Story, the Excitement will examine the style and charisma of the man himself, his most memorable confrontations, and introduce each one of his 22 films. Bond Cars and Vehicles- the Classic Cars, the Air and Sea Vehicles, the Secret Weapons, will feature Bond's cars as well as other boats and aircraft he has piloted, along with some of his most exciting chases. The final two titles will be released on 1st September in the same format. The Bond Girls- the Good, the Bad, the Dangerous, will feature a selection of the women Bond has encountered during his assignments. The Bond Villains- the Evil Geniuses, the Henchmen, the Masterplans, will focus on the rogues Bond has defeated.

Alastair Dougall, senior editor at DK, said the idea behind the series was to provide edited highlights of the Bond films. "If you get all four titles you get fantastic visuals of all the aspects of the Bond scenarios and you can see the films from a different perspective," Dougall said. Each book runs through the films chronologically starting at "Dr No" through to "Quantum of Solace". Dougall said the books are "fun and accessible" with images running across spreads, and quotes, which "capture the spirit of the movies". Dougall added: "They will appeal to fans and they will appeal to people who remember the Bond films and want to re-experience and re-enjoy them." The titles have been created in full collaboration with EON Productions, producers of the Bond films. DK previously published James Bond: The Secret World of 007 in 2008 and James Bond Encyclopedia in 2009. Spy Vibe adds that DK also published
The Ultimate Spy by Keith Melton- a very cool illustrated history of spy gadgets. The new series spotlighting Bond girls, baddies, and style sounds fun!