Marc Platt's "Dis Time It's Poisonal"

Marc Platt is an artist you should be listening to if you’re a fan of first-rate rock and roll music. The talented former frontman for the well-regarded power poppers The Real Impossibles has been issuing some impressive discs recently, including the marvelous 2020 EP Beat On The Street, and the excellent full-length album Colors Of The Universe this past January. Now he’s back with another not to be missed record, Dis Time It’s Poisonal, which has just been released by Rum Bar Records. The album is a splendid collection of songs, a few of which have previously been released, and a number of other tunes which were newly recorded for this project. All of the tracks on the album mesh together perfectly to create a memorable listening experience.

Dis Time It’s Poisonal opens with the electric “Dig The New Scene,” which sets the stage for the rest of the album via its power pop meets alternative vibe, energized by Platt’s excellent guitar work and effervescent vocals. That’s followed by the terrific “Tryin To Survive,” which feels like a garage rock number mashed up with a Lou Reed tune. Those are just two of the high points on an album which is filled with outstanding songs. Platt moves effortlessly between the confessional tone of tracks like the jazzy “I’m Searchin” and the edgy “High Road” to the rough-hewn, bluesy feel of the hard-rocking “Woman of the World.”

Other highlights of this extraordinary record include a luminous, heartfelt cover of the Flamin’ Groovies classic “I Can’t Hide” and “She Tastes Like Candy,” co-written by Platt with the late John Ferriter of The Tearaways. “She Tastes Like Candy” is a song that’s gloriously infused with the DNA of 1960s pop in sound, style and production, which sounds like it time-warped to the present from an AM station's playlist in 1965. It's one of my favorites on the album. There’s also the acoustic leaning, folk-tinged “What’s A Man” and the Dylan-esque “Don’t Kick a Man When He’s Down” on which Platt sounds like he’s channeling a bit of Warren Zevon in the vocals. I also really dig the 1980s rock-flavored “Guilty As Charged,” and the modern rock mood of “Sweetest Sound” (originally recorded just after the breakup of The Real Impossibles) which has echoes of classic REM and U2.

Dis Time It’s Poisonal is an emotionally resonant, superbly crafted disc, and it’s clear from the results that Platt cares deeply about his music. He’s able to celebrate his rock and roll influences while creating brilliant songs that celebrate his unique and superlative talents as a singer, songwriter and producer. If you like rock, folk, punk and power pop, then you need to check out this wonderful record. Dis Time It’s Poisonal is available from Rum Bar Records, https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com, and you can order the album and listen to song samples by following this direct link to the page for Dis Time It’s Poisonal: https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/dis-time-its-poisonal-the-nice-price. Here's a link to the video for the first single from the album, “I Can’t Hide.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JXP_06b02k.

The B Movie "Creatures" of Sam Katzman

Sam Katzman was one of the most prolific (and successful) producers in Hollywood. He sheperded hundreds of films into production and onto movie screens from the 1930s thru the 1970s. Katzman produced westerns, comedies, thrillers and rock and roll musicals. His "B" movies often filled out the bottom half of double bills, but he also produced serials, action movies and even a pair of Elvis Presley films. Like Roger Corman, his movies were often made on a minuscule budget, but were always very profitable for their studios. Katzman is probably best remembered by fans of classic science-fiction cinema for producing a pair of early films by special effects master Ray Harryhausen, It Came From Beneath The Sea and Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers.

Some of Katzman's other sci-fi and horror movies aren't quite as revered as those two Harryhausen epics, but they're much beloved by devotees of old school sci-fi, horror and fantasy. Theses other films, like The Night The World Exploded, may not be classics, but they're a whole lot of fun. Arrow Video has just released Cold War Creatures: Four Films By Sam Katzman, a wonderful limited edition box set of four of Katzman's creature features. The movies included in the set are Creature with the Atom Brain, The Werewolf, Zombies of Mora Tau, and The Giant Claw. Older fans will probably recognize these titles, and if you didn't see them on the big screen, you probably caught them, as I did, on shows like Chiller Theatre or Creature Features, which featured showings of horror, science-fiction and fantasy films on local stations in the pre-cable, pre-streaming days. Here's a brief synopsis of each of the four films featured in Cold War Creatures: Four Films By Sam Katzman:

1. Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) – A gangster unleashes remote-controlled corpses, aka atomic age zombies, as instruments of revenge upon the men who got him deported. There are some effectively scary moments in this gangster flick mashed up with a mad scientist thriller, directed by Edward L. Cahn. Note for rock and roll fans; this is the film upon which psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson (of The 13th Floor Elevators) based his same named song. Here's a look at the trailer for the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L82jN6Z6qUE.

2. The Werewolf (1956) – This science-fiction infused variation on werewolf tales features an amnesiac man who transforms into a monster and terrorizes a small town. But how did he become a werewolf, and can he be captured before he wreaks more havoc? This offbeat and eerie film is well-directed by Fred F. Sears, and features a couple of genuine scares. Here's the trailer for the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI4pMEpCkAI.

3. Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) – This horror tale features treasure hunters who get more than they bargained for when they run afoul of the walking dead while searching for diamonds on a sunken ship. This is kind of a film noir (complete with a femme fatale) cross-wired with a zombie flick. Edward L. Cahn is back behind the camera for this one. Here's the trailer for this underwater (?) zombie thriller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3kpfVH1bT8.

4. The Giant Claw (1957) – This vintage monster movie is famous (or is that infamous?) for featuring one of the silliest looking monsters ever put on film, in the story of a giant bird terrorizing the world. You have to see this one to believe it. It's a fairly standard and decently made 1950s monster film, until the not so terrifying title menace shows up. Fred F. Sears returns to direct this one. Here's the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOj0nXpRqX8.

There are a lot of familiar faces among the casts in these films, including Allison Hayes (who starred as the title "creature" in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) in Zombies of Mora Tau, Don Megowan in The Werewolf, and Jeff Morrow (This Island Earth) and Mara Corday (Tarantula) in The Giant Claw. I have an unabashed love for these type of movies, and the ones selected for this set are prime examples of the kind of films Hollywood doesn't make anymore. No one is ever going to call these movies A-list classics, but they're very entertaining, and in the case of The Werewolf, you might just discover a well-crafted and under-appreciated B-movie gem. As a big fan of Allison Hayes, I also like Zombies of Mora Tau quite a bit, but Creature with the Atom Brain and The Giant Claw are also enjoyable.

All four of the films in this set look great, and the hi-definition remasters are well done. This beautifully put together collection is jam packed with extras, including an introduction for each film by noted author and critic Kim Newman, audio commentaries from various experts, featurettes on the themes and subtexts of Katzman's movies, and a biography/presentation on Katzman's career by writer Stephen R. Bissette. Also included are lobby card reproductions, two double-sided posters, and two booklets which include articles and analysis on each of the films, as well as a wealth of photos. This lovingly crafted set is a wonderful tribute to the movies of Sam Katzman, and it's truly a gift for "Monster Kids" and classic B movie fans everywhere. Here's a video from Arrow Video that shows you the lavish extras included in the set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBVTPZcuizg.

Retro TV Movie: Satan's Triangle

Regular readers of this blog have probably noted my fondness for the eerie made for TV movies of the 1970s, such as The Night Stalker, Gargoyles and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. Some of these films are well-made chillers which are now regarded as classics, while others fall into the categories of guilty pleasures, such as the enjoyably off-kilter The Horror at 37,000 Feet and Satan's School For Girls. I recently came across another entry in the latter category when I rediscovered Satan's Triangle, which originally aired on ABC in 1975. This eerie chiller is set in the Bermuda Triangle, that legendary area in the North Atlantic where a number of ships and planes have reportedly disappeared without a trace over the years. The mysterious "Devil's Triangle" was the subject of a lot of books and TV shows in the 1970s, including In Search Of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy.

The film opens with a rescue chopper sent out to answer an SOS from a small craft stranded at sea in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle. When the chopper arrives at the scene, co-pilot Lt. Haig is lowered to the craft via winch. What he finds there are three dead bodies and a frightened woman named Eva. When an attempt to pull up Haig and Eva to the chopper fails because the line snaps, weather conditions and low fuel require the pilot to return to base to refuel. Lt. Haig and Eva are left on the ship, and she tells Haig the story of how everyone on the vessel died, attributing their mysterious and violent deaths to supernatural causes.

Eva says that all of the odd events began when their schooner picked up a priest named Father Martin, who apparently survived a disaster at sea. Several men, including Eva's husband Hal, die mysteriously after he comes aboard, leaving Eva as the lone survivor. A skeptical Haig tells Eva he can explain all of these deaths, including Hal, who seems to be floating in mid-air, and Martin, who's hanging from the ship's mast, as the result of accidents and natural circumstances. Eva remains unconvinced, but the two grow closer as they wait for the rescue chopper to pick them up.

(Take note; spoilers ahead) Haig and Eva are eventually transferred to the returning helicopter from a rescue vessel which has arrived in the area. After the chopper takes off. the rescue ship radios the pilot and says that it's not a man that's hanging from the mast, as reported by Haig, but a woman! He turns to Eva, who laughs maniacally and transforms into the priest, then shoves the surprised Haig out the door into the ocean. The devil (?!) then goes after the pilot, threatening to take his soul, but he crashes the copter into the ocean. The last shot of the film is of Haig, who's now floating in the sea, boasting an evil grin, and waving at the approaching rescue ship.

The cast is chock full of familiar faces. Doug McClure, a familiar face to both TV and cinema audiences of the 1960s and 70s, who was featured in sci-fi movies such as The Land That Time Forgot and At The Earth's Core, stars as Haig. Movie legend Kim Novak, of Vertigo and Picnic fame, portrays Eva. The supporting cast includes Alejandro Rey of The Flying Nun, Jim Davis from Dallas and Michael Conrad of Hill Street Blues. The film was helmed by Sutton Roley, a veteran of movies and television who directed a ton of TV movies and series, including episodes of Hawaii Five-O, Kojak and Starsky and Hutch. The teleplay is by William Read Woodfield, who co-wrote and produced many episodes of the original Mission: Impossible TV series, and was also well-known as a photographer who shot pictures of stars like Marilyn Monroe.

Satan's Triangle is enjoyably goofy, spooky fun. This is one of those TV movies that, after its initial airing on ABC, showed up constantly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s on local stations as part of their afternoon movie showcases. Remember The 4:30 Movie in the New York area? It's not a classic like Trilogy of Terror or The Night Stalker, but if you dig the 1970s made for TV chiller genre, you'll have a good time watching this one. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime. And remember, don't pick up any strange survivors if you're in Satan's Triangle!

A Power Pop Rescue From Nick Piunti!

Looking for a couple of excellent songs to liven up your summer? Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men have just the explosion of power pop energy you need to brighten your day in these difficult times. When I reviewed their outstanding album, Downtime, for the music and arts website CultureSonar back in 2020, I mentioned that Nick and his band might just be "power pop's best kept secret." A long-time fixture on the Detroit rock and roll scene, Nick's been making great music for years now, and Downtime, as well as some of Nick's earlier records, including 13 In My Head, and Trust Your Instincts, are well worth your time and attention. Hot on the heels of his knockout version of "Hang On To Your Ego" for the recently released album JEM Records Celebrates Brian Wilson, Nick and his band have issued not one, but two terrific new singles.

"Heart Inside Your Head" is a power pop-tastic number that combines all the key elements of Nick's music; "can't get it out of your head once it's there" hooks, catchy lyrics, and the joy-infused musical chemistry between Nick and The Complicated Men, aka Kevin Darnall on keyboards, Jeff Happ on bass Ron Vesko on drums, and Geoff Michael on synths. Nick's terrific vocals and guitar top it all off to achieve the perfect power pop confection. Don't believe me? Just give the tune ( which was chosen as a Coolest Song In The World on Little Steven's Sirius XM radio show, Underground Garage) a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmhkgay_Ee8.

The band's other new single is "One of the Boyz," a sparkling mixture of power pop and modern rock styles in a tale about a guy who doesn't appreciate the girl in his life, and treats her like "one of the boyz." The song features delightful lyrics that will make you smile (I dig "When you get strong and you move on, there'll be no looking over your cold shoulder...") and an effervescent mix highlighted by Piunti's excellent guitar work. It's another great tune that should absolutely be played loud with the car windows down as you sing along. Check "One of the Boyz," out here: https://nickpiuntimusic.bandcamp.com/track/one-of-the-boyz. Both of these singles are fantastic, and should immediately be added to your power pop playlist. You can find music by Nick Piunti and The Complicated Men at bandcamp: https://nickpiuntimusic.bandcamp.com, and discover more about the band at: https://www.nickpiunti.com. Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men's new singles are just the power pop rescue you need at the end of this long, hot summer!

Laura Nyro's Passionate Musical Life

What do the hit songs “Eli’s Comin” by Three Dog Night and “Wedding Bell Blues” by The Fifth Dimension have in common? They were written by the late Laura Nyro, who had many of her wonderful songs turned into chart topping hits by artists like Blood, Sweat & Tears and Barbra Streisand during the 1960s and 70s. Nyro released her first record, More Than A New Discovery, in 1967, and went on to record several now classic albums, including Eli & The Thirteenth Confession (1968) and New York Tendaberry (1969). She was a gifted performer who stayed out of the limelight when she wasn’t recording or touring. 

Laura remained elusive offstage, and kept her personal life very private. Despite not being a household name to the casual listener, Nyro has gained a loyal following among music fans, critics and fellow musicians. The 2003 biography Soul Picnic: The Music & Passion of Laura Nyro by Michelle Kort does a good job giving us some deeper insight into the life and career of this talented artist, who passed away in 1997. Kort wisely focuses on Nyro’s music, and uses it as a window to tell her story. There are compelling reminisces by Nyro’s family and friends, and stories about her upbringing and musical journey.

The real pleasures found in the book concern the creation of Nyro's music: the stories behind classic tunes like “And When I Die” and “Stoned Soul Picnic,” showcase her gift for unique lyrics and melodies. Despite her innate talent, Nyro often clashed with producers as well as record company executives who didn’t understand her vision for her music, and how she felt her records should sound. Kort does a great job covering Nyro’s passionate, unflinching commitment to her music and how it should feel to the listener. There’s a lot of detail about the making of her albums and her concert tours, including input from studio musicians, producers and band members. There are also recollections from well known artists who either worked with Nyro or were influenced by her, including Todd Rundgren, Patti Labelle and bass player Will Lee. Kort does a great job analyzing Nyro’s music and its origins in her personal life, and shares some facts that the average fan may not know, including Nyro’s relationship with a young Jackson Browne.

This is a well-written biography that will appeal to music buffs who want to know more about Nyro’s background and history as an artist, as well as fans wanting an in-depth look into her creative process. The book also includes a discography, which was current at the time of the book's release, circa 2003. It was also published before Nyro’s induction into the R&R hall of fame in 2012, so there are no details about that well-deserved honor, but this is still a beautiful portrait of an acclaimed, powerful singer. Highly recommended, Soul Picnic: The Music & Passion of Laura Nyro is available in paperback and hardcover from online retailers like Amazon. For more on Laura, you can check out two pieces I wrote for CultureSonar about her music. Here are links to my articles on her terrific collaboration with Labelle, Gonna Take A Miracle: https://www.culturesonar.com/laura-nyro/, and a look at some of her very best songs: https://www.culturesonar.com/8-genius-songs-by-laura-nyro/.

Retro Film Noir: Nightmare Alley

The world of film noir is full of murder-filled cityscapes, rain-slicked streets and doomed characters, but one of the bleakest and most cynical stories in noir cinema actually starts out not in the big city, but at a carnival. Nightmare Alley, a 1947 tale from director Edmund Goulding, is a cynical tale filled with a sense of foreboding, which features some very dark twists and turns. The movie stars Tyrone Power as Stan Carlisle, an ambitious guy, who's something of a heel. He’s eking out a living as a barker at a slightly low-rent carnival. He also assists Zeena, a mentalist, and her husband Eric, with their act. Stan, who’s both a con man and a ladies man, is having an affair with Zeena, and wants to find a way into the big-time.

Stan learns that Zeena and Eric had a popular vaudeville show, before her extramarital affairs and Eric’s drinking ruined their careers. They used a shared “code” which made it appear that Zeena truly had supernatural powers of perception. Stan’s desperate to get a hold of it, believing that he and Zeena could put a successful act together. But she won’t share the code or leave her husband. Then tragedy strikes, and Pete dies in an accident, for which Stan is inadvertently responsible. Zeena has to teach Stan the code in order to continue the act. Meanwhile, the venal Stan’s already thinking about his next conquest, and is romancing Molly, a younger member of the carnival troupe, who's infatuated with him, behind Zeena’s back. Stan is a bit of a cad, and pretty full of himself.

When Stan’s liaison with Molly is discovered, the carnival crew forces him to marry her, and Stan and Molly leave the show behind. Stan re-invents himself as a mentalist, and with Molly as his assistant, their show becomes popular on the nightclub circuit. One night, a woman in the audience challenges Stan’s supposed “power.” Stan’s able to outwit her, but can't get her off his mind. She turns out to be a psychiatrist named Lilith Ritter, who’s as fascinated by Stan as he is by her. Stan and Lilith enter into a scheme using the recordings of sessions with her clients to enhance his con, and display his remarkable powers of perception, in order to wrangle money from their marks. Just how low will Stan go to attain fame and fortune? What’s Lilith’s game, and is she trying to further her own ends?

Every time Stan makes a choice, he picks the self-interested path that will profit him, even at the expense and downfall of others. The carnival troupe is depicted as a family, and the fact that Stan, as a rootless drifter who'd been given a home there, discards them so casually, is another factor in his undoing. He also underestimates Lilith, who’s much sharper than Stan gives her credit for, and ignores Molly’s warnings about going too far with his schemes. Will the dark prediction Zeena saw in her tarot cards back at the carnival regarding his ultimate fate come true? Stan is haunted by his part in Eric’s accidental death, and when things really unravel for him, he'll find himself brought lower than he’s ever been before. Is Stan's fate his own doing, or was it his destiny all along?

Nightmare Alley is based upon a novel by William Lindsay Gresham, which became a best-seller upon its release in 1946. The book is, if anything, even darker than the film, and it was a big success with readers. Gresham was fascinated by seamy side of carnival life, and based the novel on conversations he had with a former carny. Tyrone Power read the book and wanted to star in the film version. Power was looking to do something a bit different from the romantic leads and swashbuckling roles he normally essayed, and thanks to his star power, as well as the recent success of his dramatic turn in The Razor’s Edge, he convinced Daryl Zanuck to produce the film version of Nightmare Alley. The studio brought in writer Jules Furthman to adapt the novel, and assigned Power’s Razor’s Edge director, Edmund Goulding, to helm the film.

Power gives a terrific performance as Stan, imbuing the character with just the right mix of con man charisma, suave ladies man charm, and the complex emotions of a multi-layered noir anti-hero. He’s perfectly matched by Joan Blondell as Zeena, Coleen Gray as Molly, and Helen Walker as the enigmatic Lilith, all of whom are excellent. Mike Mazurki as Bruno and Ian Keith as Eric are also wonderful in their supporting roles. Goulding’s direction is solid, and there’s some brilliant cinematography by Lee Garmes, who uses the film’s black and white palette to its full advantage. His masterful lighting and shot composition are showcased throughout the film.

Nightmare Alley was not a success upon its original release, and Daryl Zanuck quickly pulled the film from theaters. Perhaps the subject matter was a bit too dark and disturbing for the time, even with its studio-imposed "happy" ending, but the movie remained one of Power’s personal favorites, and has gone on to become a classic of film noir. There’s a remake of the film (which is reportedly a closer adaptation of the novel) coming later this year, directed and co-written by Guillermo Del Toro, and featuring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett and Ron Perlman. In the meantime, check out Nightmare Alley on the recently released Criterion Collection Blu-ray or DVD, which has some excellent special features, including a commentary by noir historians James Ursini and Alain Silver, and interviews with co-star Coleen Gray, writer Imogen Sara Smith and Todd Robbins, a real-life carnival performer. Nightmare Alley is a terrific movie, and it’s one of my absolute favorite noir films. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to check it out. If you have seen it before, maybe it’s time to re-discover it! Here’s a link to the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Nly0xSm1E, which is textless and narration-less.

Falling for Lehane's "Since We Fell"

Dennis Lehane has written some well-regarded novels, including Mystic River and The Given Day. I first became aware of Lehane when I read his terrific mystery series featuring Massachusetts based private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, which began with 1994's A Drink Before The War. I was a huge fan of those books, and was delighted when the fourth entry, Gone, Baby, Gone, was adapted into a film directed by Ben Affleck. Other Lehane novels, including Mystic River and Shutter Island, have also been turned into movies. Lehane was also  a writer for the third season of the acclaimed HBO series The Wire. I recently caught up with one of Lehane’s 2017 thriller Since We Fell. It’s a fast-paced tale of love, lies, larceny and murder.

The story centers on Rachel Childs, a reporter who goes through a very public on-air meltdown while covering the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Not only does she sideline a once-promising career, but Rachel becomes agoraphobic, and literally shuts her self off from the outside world. Despite her marriage to one of her colleagues at her former network, Rachel can't seem to straighten out her life. She has other issues as well. Rachel was brought up by an emotionally distant mother, and never really knew her father, who left when she was a young child. Her mother refuses to divulge his identity, and finding him becomes something of an obsession for Rachel.

While searching for her father, Rachel meets Brian Delacroix, a private investigator, who initially warns her that because of the lack of evidence, her search may never bear fruit. He declines to take her case. Rachel and Brian end up crossing paths again over the years, and eventually begin a tentative romance, as Rachel's first marriage is spiraling towards its end. The pair eventually marry, and Brian helps Rachel come out of her carefully shielded world, and live her life to the fullest once again. At this point, he's supposedly working for his family's successful business. Rachel is happier than she's ever been.

 

But she begins to suspect Brian may not be all he says he is, and that he has a secret life. He claims to be traveling the world for business, but Rachel catches him misleading her and lying about his whereabouts. As Rachel digs deeper into his background, she discovers there may be a lot of other things that Brian is hiding. As the novel shifts into high gear in its last third, the twists come fast and furious, and Rachel has to keep one step ahead of an ever-widening series of dangerous situations related to Brian's real identity.

 

As Michael Connelly (the creator of Harry Bosch) did with his novel Chasing The Dime, this is Lehane working in popcorn thriller territory. Since We Fell is a fun and engaging read that feels like Lehane's version of a summer action movie. While it doesn’t quite achieve the noir-ish heights of some of his other works, Lehane is a talented storyteller, and knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and turning the pages to see what happens next. The novel actually takes its time to bring in its thriller elements, charting Rachel's fall from grace, and eventual rebirth, as a resilient heroine who's determined to find out the truth about her husband. 

Since We Fell is a riveting thriller. Rachel is a well-rounded character, and her journey is fascinating and compelling. You'll find yourself rooting for her to succeed in figuring out the truth, and coming out on top. It's interesting to see Lehane writing from a female point of view, and the Hitchcock style twists that occur in the last portion of the novel will keep you guessing. It's no surprise that the screen rights for Since We Fell (the title comes from the Lenny Welch hit "Since I Fell For You") have been sold to DreamWorks Pictures, and Lehane's novel is going to be adapted for the big screen. Catch up with it now, and put it on your summer reading list, before the eventual big budget movie shows up at your local cinema!