Halloween Song: The Who - “Boris The Spider”

Here’s a Halloween song profile I first posted on BHT on October 13, 2022. The Who used to perform it in concert, but I’m not sure they still would since this humorous gem was written by, and forever associated with, their late and legendary bassist John Entwistle. It’s hard to imagine anyone else capturing his comically deadpan vocals, even with drummer Keith Moon heckling him.

“Boris The Spider” sets childlike observations about a spider invading someone’s home to a playful, bottom heavy arrangement, with Pete Townshend adding backup vocals. The title arachnid maintains a safe distance at first but soon takes a more threatening position. “Look, he's crawling up my wall/Black and hairy, very small/Now he's up above my head/Hanging by a little thread.”

Even after Boris moves on, the observer still doesn’t feel safe having this ‘creepy, creepy, crawly, crawly” creature around. “There he is wrapped in a ball/Doesn't seem to move at all/Perhaps he's dead, I'll just make sure/Pick this book up off the floor.” Though “Boris The Spider” comes to a sticky end, it’s likely this catchy musical tale would go over well at a kids Halloween party as well as one for adults. 

Slumgullion

Chicago indie rock band The Handcuffs have a gig coming up at Liar’s Club on October 19 to promote the vinyl release of their latest album, Burn The Rails. Morgan Fisher from Mott The Hoople will be their guest keyboards player that night. The gatefold LP comes with a seven-inch blue vinyl single featuring the new Handcuffs track “Jubilee” and a cover of the George Harrison/Jackie Lomax song “Sour Milk Sea.” In my review of Burn The Rails back when it was released on Bandcamp, I noted: The Chicago-based indie rock quintet is justifiably praised for its expertise in channeling 1970s glam rock, but that’s just part of the story. As on their previous release, Waiting For The Robot, the new Burn The Rails successfully explores a variety of approaches.

Just a reminder there are few hours left in this month’s Bandcamp Friday. That’s when Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes the funds directly to artists and labels.

The crew behind Record Store Day has just released the list for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day, and once again, there are vinyl treasures to be found in all genres of music. One of the most fascinating items is the 2-LP set The Byrds/Buffalo Springfield: Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival. Not only were those two of the best bands from that era, but David Crosby performed with each one of them at the festival. As the official RSD site explains, “These sets mark a pivotal moment in Crosby’s career: One of his final performances before leaving The Byrds and, sitting in with Buffalo Springfield at the request of Stephen Stills  . . .”

Other acts on the 2023 RSD Black Friday list include Allman Brothers Band; The Blasters; Sam Cooke; Cypress Hill; The Doors; Echo And The Bunnymen; Billie Eilish; The English Beat; a collection of cover versions by Garbage; Jerry Garcia; Grateful Dead (have they ever not been part of an RSD event?); Herbie Hancock; Jimi Hendrix; B.B. King; Steve Martin; Joni Mitchell; Stevie Nicks; Buck Owens; Pearl Jam; Ramones; The Rolling Stones; Santana; Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson; T-Rex; Tangerine Dream; U2; Van Halen; War; and Yes. Glancing through the descriptions of these releases, you’ll find many of them have interesting background stories.

The David Bowie tribute band Super Creeps has a show coming up next Friday, October 11 at Park West in Chicago.

Congratulations to f News Magazine, published by The School Of The Art Institute, on its 40th Anniversary. The current issue, which I picked up at the Gene Siskel Film Center on State Street, features Kit Montgomery’s A Guide to Live Music Venues in Chicago. Montgomery offers profiles of The Subterranean; Bottom Lounge; Metro; House Of Blues; Auditorium Theater; The Salt Shed; The Aragon Ballroom; Radius; and United Center.

The Englewood Jazz Festival - Three Days Of Free Music In The Community takes place September 19 – 21 at the Hamilton Park and Cultural Center at 513 W. 72nd Street.

October should be an exciting month for film buffs in the Chicago area, with the Destinos 7th Chicago International Theater Festival running from September 30 to November 17; and the 60th Chicago International Film Festival taking place from October 16 through October 27. Both events will have screenings at various locations.

Considering the success of their Play R.E.M.’s Murmur tour earlier this year, it’s no surprise Michael Shannon And Jason Narducy And Friends are planning to hit the road in tribute to another R.E.M. album. Tickets are already on sale for their Celebrate The 40th Anniversary of R.E.M.’s Fables Of The Reconstruction tour kicking off  in Pioneertown, CA on Valentine’s Day 2025. Other cities on the tour include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago. There will be two shows (2/27, 2/28) in Athens, GA, which is where members of R.E.M. dropped by on the Murmur tour. The Chicago date is March 14 at Metro. Dave Hill will be a special guest on the tour.

Susanna Hoffs will soon release The Lost Record, a collection of songs she recorded with Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Go’s in her garage back in 1999. Musicians Bill Bottrell, Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz also contributed to the 10 tracks. The album is due out on October 18.

Smashing Pumpkins founder Billy Corgan and his wife Chloe Mendel are planning a Bozo-themed festival on the weekend of October 18 – 20 at their Madame Zuzu’s restaurant in Highland Park, IL. Tickets are $8.50 for kids, and $14 for grownups.

Tall Poppy Syndrome has followed its March 2024 cover of The Kinks’ “This  Time Tomorrow” with a version of the 1964 Brenda Lee hit “Is It True.” (Apparently, nobody liked question marks back then.) Guest vocalist Carla Olson of The Textones and solo career fame guarantees a faithful take, and Tall Poppy Syndrome regulars Paul Kopf, Vince Maloney Jonathan Lea, Alec Palao, and Clem Burke provide a hard-edged backdrop. Surprisingly, the instrumentation on Brenda Lee’s original also had some bite to it. 

Twisted Dream Machine - The Paisley Underground - California’s Psychedelic Renaissance: 1982-1986 is now available to pre-order as a double-LP or CD Digipak from the Futurismo site. It’s the next volume in Futurismo's Altered Vision compilation series, and features tracks by The Three O’Clock, The Rain Parade, True West, The Bangles, Thin White Rope, Game Theory, The Dream Syndicate, The Long Ryders, Green On Red, 28th Day, The Pandoras, and Wednesday Week.

 

The Zombies’ 2024 Begin Here Festival, which takes place November 8 – 10 in St. Albans in the UK, will include a Tribute To Rod Argent on November 9. The longtime keyboards player/songwriter gave up live performances after recently experiencing a stroke, but will continue to record with the band. The tribute will include special guests Russ Ballard, Tanita Tikaram, Danny Mattin, Millies Riquelme, Hugh Grundy and Chris White.

 

A new album titled Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Live At Fillmore East, 1969, which is being described as “a newly discovered multi-track recording,” will be released in CD and double LP formats on Oct. 25. It’s currently available to pre-order from Rhino Records. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young Live At Fillmore East, 1969 will also be available in digital format.

Chicago: Home Of House, an exhibit honoring the city’s pivotal role in widespread success of house music over the past 40 years, runs through the end of October.

Congratulations to Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam on quickly raising £94,000 of the £120,000 they need in their GoFundMe campaign to finance an effort to erect a statue honoring late Python member Terry Jones on the promenade in his home town of Colwyn Bay in Wales. In a recent email to those who have donated, the funds administrators stated, “We just wanted to say a massive thank you for your donation and that with your help Terry’s statue will be raised!”

Halloween Song: Blue Oyster Cult - “Don’t Fear The Reaper”

Here’s another spooky song profile that was first posted here on BHT back on October 14, 2009.

Hair-raising scenarios come naturally to hard rock and heavy metal bands, but Blue Oyster Cult’s variety of approaches was impressive. “Nosferatu” was a majestic and brooding meditation on the original vampire tale, while the thundering “Godzilla,” with lines like, “Oh no, there goes Tokyo! Go, Go, Godzilla!” was unabashed fun. The band struck gold in 1976 with “Don’t Fear The Reaper” from their Agents Of Fortune album.

The opening guitar riff and progressive arrangement are pure classic rock, but the song spread across genres and retains its massive popularity to this day. Which is strange, because the lyrics appear to advocate suicide as the ultimate expression of love. “Seasons don’t fear the reaper/Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain... we can be like they are.” They also promise “We’ll be able to fly” and point out, “Romeo and Juliet are together in eternity.”

Blue Oyster Cult effectively sells these sentiments through a strong melody and intricate harmony vocals. There’s even a “La la la la la la” and “Come on, baby.” It’s almost like The Beach Boys inviting a girl to the sock hop. The last verse describes a despondent woman whose lover has already died. “And it was clear she couldn’t go on.” The final image is of the reunited couple looking back and saying goodbye to the living. Or is she flying off with the Reaper himself? Either way, “Don’t Fear The Reaper” is a love song that probably hasn’t been played played at many wedding receptions. 

Weekend Reminders

Today’s post is focused on events taking place this weekend that were previously mentioned here on Broken Hearted Toy. This gives readers an extra day’s notice, and since the events won’t be repeated in tomorrow’s Slumgullion, helps streamline Friday’s post. Slumgullion won’t be entirely new. I’ll keep mentioning, events up to and including the Thursday prior to the weekend they take place.

But first, depending on when you read this, there might still be time to catch Tributosaurus Becomes XTC tonight at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue. Although it might already be sold out, considering Tributosaurus is one of the Chicago area’s most popular tributes acts, and these guys will surely have a blast covering the clever and irresistibly catchy XTC. Martyrs’ is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Singer-guitarist Phil Angotti is also quite good at paying homage to famous musicians, and his annual Phil Angotti And Friends John Lennon Birthday Bash takes place this Saturday at Martyrs. As in recent years, the event will be divided into afternoon and evening shows, with 42 songs each. Casey McDonough, Tom Ryan, Blair Holmes, Eric Howell, John Bowes, Tony Richards, Ellis Clark, John San Juan, Kriss Bataille, and Mike Zelenko—all well-known musicians on the Chicago music scene—will be helping out. The afternoon show starts at 3:00 pm; the evening show starts at 8:00 pm.

Reeling 2024 - The 42nd Chicago LGBTO + International Film Festival, a production of Chicago Filmmakers, will finish its run at various venues around the city this Sunday.

The Matthew Sweet Acoustic Trio Tour, featuring Sweet, Paul Chastain and Adrian Carter, began this past Tuesday in Des Moines, IA. This Sunday’s show at The House Of Blues in Chicago show will be one of the dates that finds The Matthew Sweet Acoustic Trio opening for Hanson. The tour wraps up on November 16, with a show in Seattle.

Social Act will perform at Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side this Friday evening at 7:30 pm. The alt rock group’s founding members Ellis Clark and John Krenger will be onboard, along with some impressive new members. Social Act has been in the studio recently, working on new material.

The Northman Riverwalk in downtown Chicago has added a third Oktoberfest Weekend to its schedule, by bringing back The Paloma Band for three separate sets tomorrow and Saturday. The quartet has over 40 years of performing experience, and they’re very keen on audience participation. Tomorrow’s set starts at 5:00 pm; Saturday’s sets are at 2:00 and 4:00 pm.

Finally, a reminder that tomorrow is a Bandcamp Friday. That’s when Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes the funds directly to artists and labels. Support your favorite musicians.

Halloween Song: The B-52’s - “Planet Claire”

Moving on from yesterday’s mysterious “Jacksie,” tonight’s Halloween song involves an adventurous female with an unusual means of intergalactic travel. It’s the another profile from the BHT vault, originally posted here on October 22, 2009. A few edits have been made since then.

Back in 1979, The B-52’s were unlike any current bands or any that preceded them. Over 40 years later, they’re still in a category all their own. They arrived as part of the punk movement but used a toy piano, fire alarm, and walkie talkie, along with standard rock instruments on their self-titled debut album. And their lyrics were consistently nonsensical.

Opening with a mostly instrumental passage that features eerie keyboards along with high-pitched vocalizing, “Planet Claire” introduces us to an unnamed alien who came from the title planet via a Plymouth Satellite she drives faster than the speed of light. Like all Clairelings, she doesn’t have a head, so it’s hard to imagine how she could see where she was going. Then again, you could say the same thing about Earthlings who text while driving.

Vocalist Fred Schneider, who composed the song with drummer Keith Strickland, affects an appropriately silly tone throughout the song. Especially when he screams, “WELL, SHE ISN’T!” in response to speculation that the alien is “from Mars or one of the seven stars that shine after 3:30 in the morning.” Unlike many outer space invaders, this visitor from “Planet Claire” doesn’t appear to have any evil plans. She’s been partying here on Earth for decades, and probably uploads mind-blowing videos on TikTok. 

Halloween Song: Over The Rhine - “Jacksie"

NOTE: A new Incoming was posted earlier today.

A few months back, I mentioned that August 6, 2024 marked the 15th anniversary of my Broken Hearted Toy blog. The celebratory posts I planned for this milestone fell by the wayside, but I’d still like to continue my tradition of posting Halloween songs throughout October. Here’s the first Halloween song profile I ever wrote for Broken Hearted Toy, all the way back in 2009.

“Jacksie” is the first track on Patience, the 1992 debut album from Over The Rhine. The Cincinnati-based band, founded by vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist and bassist/keyboards player Linford Detweiler, has garnered critical acclaim for decades by setting thought-provoking lyrics to inventive folk, country, and indie rock arrangements. Detweiler based the song on theologian C.S. Lewis’s book, A Grief Observed, spinning the author’s heartfelt reflections on the loss of a loved one into a compelling and beautiful ballad. 

Still, a casual listener could be forgiven for thinking this is a classic ghost story. Especially with lines such as, “They laid her in the ground./She still comes around./A love that never dies takes you by surprise.” Bergquist’s ethereal vocals, set to a serene arrangement, sends chills up the listener’s spine, especially when her “la la la la la la la” echoes like you’re traveling through a dark forest.

Over The Rhine continues to perform and record impressive music, and hosts the Nowhere Else Festival every summer.

Incoming

Fans of The dB’s will be happy to know a new version of “Ask For Jill” is now available as a single on various streaming sites. The song is one of the many catchy gems on the band’s 1981 album Repercussion, which will be released in a remastered format on October 18 from Propeller Sound Recordings. Other highlights on Repercussion include “Living A Lie,” “Happenstance,” and “Neverland,” as well as the very Hollies-like ballad “From A Window.”

Chicago area fans of XTC have two opportunities coming up to watch local musicians paying homage to the clever and irresistibly catchy English band. Tributosaurus will become XTC this Thursday night at Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue, and power pop musician Dolph Chaney will host Working for Paper and for Iron - XTX - Girdle To The Globe next Tuesday, October 8 at Montrose Saloon.

Tickets are now on sale for Stevie Wonder’s tour, which opens in Pittsburgh on October 8. It’s slogan, Your Song! As We Fix Our Nation’s Heart, is inspired by Wonder’s call for peace and unity on his new single “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?” New York City; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Greensboro; Atlanta; Detroit; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Grand Rapids; and Chicago are the other stops on the tour.

Social Act, possibly the first band I interviewed when I started freelancing for the Illinois Entertainer back in 1987, will perform at Liar’s Club on Chicago’s north side this Friday evening at 7:30 pm. The alt rock group’s founding members Ellis Clark and John Krenger will be onboard, along with some impressive new members. Social Act has been in the studio recently, working on new material.

Congratulations to music industry veteran Dean Brownrout on the release of his book No Big Deal today via Guernica Editions. Subtitled Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business, it covers his teenage days as a concert promoter on through founding his independent record label, Big Deal. Brownrout describes it as “a humorous and nostalgic journey through this seminal time in the music industry.” No Big Deal has a Foreword by Ira Robbins of Trouser Press.

“Revelation Blues,” the first single from whitewolfsonicprincess' upcoming album, Love Without Fear, is now available to stream on Spotify and Bandcamp. Guitarist-vocalist James Moeller describes it as, “a bit Celtic blues, a bit wild-fire.” The band has a record release party for Love Without Fear coming up on Halloween night at Evanston SPACE.

Also, a quick reminder that Bandcamp Friday is coming up in a few days. That’s when Bandcamp waives its revenue and passes the funds directly to artists and labels.

The Northman Riverwalk in downtown Chicago has added a third Oktoberfest Weekend to its schedule, by bringing back The Paloma Band for three separate sets this Friday and Saturday. The quartet has over 40 years of experience when it comes to encouraging audience participation. Friday’s set starts at 5:00 pm; Saturday’s sets are at 2:00 and 4:00 pm.