Witch’s Cauldron

Damn right, I’m going with a vintage photo.

Fans of The Bee Gees fall into two categories: Those of us who liked them much better before they went disco, and those who didn’t even know The Bee Gees existed before they went disco. We’ll have to see if the makers of the upcoming HBO documentary The Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart documentary concentrate on one of those eras more than the other. I’m hoping it’s the former. A synopsis on the HBO website describes the film as, “an intimate exploration of the Gibb story, featuring revealing interviews with oldest brother Barry and archival interviews with late twin brothers Robin and Maurice.” A number of current music stars are also interviewed, including Eric Clapton, Noel Gallagher, and Chris Martin. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart debuts on December 12.

Halloween night will find Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, and Nell Campbell returning to their cinematic haunts in a livestream version of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jason Alexander of Seinfeld will join them, along with with Connie Britton, Wilmer Valderrama, Lance Bass, Rosario Dawson, Jason George, Seth Green, and David Arquette. Several other performers are slated to join in the fun, including punk duo The Dresden Dolls. It’s a fundraising event for the Democratic Party.

I’m not sure about other cities, but it’s long been a Halloween tradition for Chicago area venues to feature local bands paying tribute to famous music acts. The pandemic has no doubt drastically reduced that number, but the rockabilly/garage rock band Amazing Heeby Jeebies will be performing as The Cramps tomorrow night in the beer garden at Montrose Saloon. If you’ve seen Amazing Heeby Jeebies live or heard their Bad Feeling album, I’m sure you’d agree they’re a good choice for honoring The Cramps. Covid-preventing face masks, social distancing, and costumes are required, capacity is limited. The fun starts at 6:00 pm.

She’s a kick-ass lead vocalist and an accomplished painter. The Chrissie Hynde Painting Calendar is now available on her official website. You’ll also find t-shirts, posters, and other cool memorabilia from her solo career as well as with The Pretenders.

 

Congratulations to Henry Diltz, who’s receiving the International Photography Hall Of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award tonight. If you follow Diltz on Instagram, you’ll see amazing photos of rock stars, particularly those on the west coast in the late 1960s. He created iconic album covers for Crosby, Stills and Nash and The Doors, but some of his most fascinating shots were taken at parties or from when he would follow a band around and improvise. I’m particularly fond of his Hollies work.

The October issue of Record Collector is currently available, with a cover story titled The 200 Rarest Records Today!, along with features on the 1960s Brit TV programme Ready Steady Go!, Peter Green, and Mike Scott. Coming in at number one on the rare records list is a 10-inch acetate of “That’ll Be The Day”/In Spite Of All The Danger” from The Quarrymen. The other 199 entries are evenly divided between David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Not really, but it seems that way. There are records by The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, Queen, Jimi Hendrix, T. Rex, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and a number of artists I’ve never heard of.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. As I’ve mentioned a few times this week, there are a number of Halloween songs scattered throughout my 10-plus years of over 2,000 posts here on Broken Hearted Toy. If you’ve got some time to search through Octobers in the BHT archives, you’ll find a variety of songs from chilling to fun. Here’s one I did back in 2013 about a song from Chicago-based singer songwriter Phil Angotti’s Life And Rhymes CD.

“I See Spaceships” might be the only rock song that simultaneously evokes The Byrds and The Who while spinning a tale of intergalactic visitors who love to party. Amazingly, this whirlwind of vintage rock from Phil Angotti’s recent Life And Rhymes CD was conjured by just three musicians: Angotti on guitars; Casey McDonough on bass; and Brad Elvis on drums. If you’re looking to create a Halloween playlist, you might want to sandwich this Roger McGuinn/Keith Moon homage between the lighthearted “Mr. Spaceman” by The Byrds and the more ominous “They Are Among Us” by The Redwalls.

“I’ll tell you my story but you won’t believe me,” Angotti predicts as the song kicks off. He goes on to describe how the little green men who crash-landed their saucer in his garden are now driving his car, and staying up late to party. Angotti, a 1960s fanatic, specifies that these Martians are listening to LPs (as opposed to iPods) and watching movies. They’re also often intoxicated, which might explain why their calls for help to their planet have gone unanswered. Maybe they keep dialing the wrong number. With all the rowdy behavior going on, it’s tempting to think Angotti’s homeowner is near-sighted and is really watching the neighborhood teenagers.

Whoever they are, this guy isn’t about to do a Clint Eastwood and tell them to get off his lawn. “I hope that they stay here, at least until Sunday,” Angotti sings. “I See Spaceships” has a rousing instrumental coda, along with a snippet of Orson Welles from his notorious War Of The Worlds radio broadcast layered on top.