Ken Sharp’s "I'll Remember The Laughter"

Ken Sharp is the gifted musician behind such excellent albums as Miniatures and 1301 Highland Avenue, and the author of a number of fine books about rock and roll, including Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy and the Play On! Power Pop Heroes series. His latest record, I’ll Remember The Laughter, may just be his best work yet. The album features 50 tracks, which touch upon a number of musical styles, including power pop, glam rock, classic soul, 1960s style pop, 1970s rock and even a touch of folk.
 The songs feature a kaleidoscope of emotions, from joy, sadness, and the wistfulness of remembering times gone by, to loves lost (and found again) and the lasting power of true friendship.

The record kicks off with the marvelous “Maybe Next Summer,” which wouldn’t sound out of place on a classic Beach Boys record. The first disc also features the swirling, power pop-inspired “There Goes My Sanity” and “Lady Godiva” which sounds like a lost tune from Bread or America, circa early to mid 1970s, right down to the effervescent guitar work. Then there’s the gorgeous “Cracking This Heart Of Stone,” one of several tracks on the album where Sharp indulges his inner soul man. I think it’s one of the best songs he's ever written, and it’s a high water mark on an album that’s filled with brilliant tunes.

I’ll Remember The Laughter is bursting at the seams with a host of marvelous songs, including the 1960s garage rock style “Sock It To Me,” the gentle pop/rock swing of “42nd Street,” and the lovely, 1960s pop-infused “Baby It’s Just A Matter Of Time.” From the Raspberries-style power pop of “It Pays To Be A Rock and Roll Star,” to the guitar-oriented rock sound of “No More Silver Linings” and “Shut Out The Lights,” there are few pop, rock and soul genres that Sharp doesn’t masterfully (and successfully) tackle throughout the album’s expansive track list. There's even a tribute to the late Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys on the sublime "Dennis."

I challenge you to listen to fantastic selections such as the joyously soulful “Philly Get Back,” the shimmering “Great Big Memphis Sky,” the California rock vibes of "Somewhere South of San Diego" and the awesome 1970s infused anthem “Wrote a Song For You,” without reaching for the replay button. In addition to the dazzling original compositions on the album, there are also several covers featured on I’ll Remember The Laughter, including a pop-tastic version of The Who’s classic “The Kids Are Alright,” an enchanting rendition of Davy Jones’ “Girl” and an outstanding interpretation of “Mr. Make Believe,” a track from Gene Simmons’ 1978 self-titled solo disc.

If that’s not enough to grab your attention, the disc also features Sharp taking on a pair of tunes from Rick Springfield’s 1973 disc Comic Book Heroes, the title track and “I’m Your Superman,” with Springfield himself providing backing vocals. Other guests on the album include Roger Manning of Jellyfish, as well as Rob Bonfiglio and Probyn Gregory, both of whom have toured with Brian Wilson. Co-produced by Sharp and Fernando Perdomo (who also appears on the disc), I’ll Remember The Laughter is a magnificent record that will bring great pleasure to rock, pop and soul fans with eclectic tastes and discerning eardrums.

You can find out more about this excellent album and sample the tracks over at https://kensharp.bandcamp.com/album/ill-remember-the-laughter. Here’s a link to the video for “Philly Get Back,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ob1hHl9HA. I’ll Remember The Laughter is filled with splendid music, composed and performed from the heart. Ken Sharp’s deep love of rock, pop and soul is evident in every note on this superb record.

"The Pallbearers Club" is Heartbreaking Horror

 Paul Tremblay is one of the most versatile and talented  writers currently working in the horror genre. He’s written several outstanding novels (and some chilling and original short stories) over the last decade. His fans include the Master of Horror himself, Stephen King. Tremblay’s novel A Head Full of Ghosts is a terrifying (and startling) take on demonic possession, and his dark, emotionally devastating apocalyptic thriller Cabin at the End of the World is currently being adapted for the big screen by M. Night Shamalyan. Tremblay’s latest novel, The Pallbearers Club, is a unique variation on a vampire tale. The book is presented as the memoir of Art Barbara. Art is something of a nerd/outsider at school, and also suffers from some serious health issues. He decides to start a club whose members will appear at funerals when no friends or family members are present to mourn the person who has passed away. This “Pallbearers Club” brings Art into contact with a mysterious woman named Mercy. She becomes a central figure in Art’s life, and he becomes intrigued by the tale of a historical “vampire” who shares Mercy’s name, and may be her ancestor.

From the outset, Art is an unreliable narrator. He tells us almost immediately that “Art Barbara” is not his real name, and that the events of the novel are only told from his perspective, and that his memory may be faulty. The relationship between Art and Mercy is a symphony of emotional highs and lows, fueled by dark secrets. What’s brilliant about the way Tremblay tells this story is that Mercy’s comments and observations regarding Art’s memoir, which she continually refers to as a work of fiction, are written in the margins of the text. She underlines and emphasizes her frank opinions throughout the book. Mercy’s recollection of events doesn’t always line up with Art’s, and she tells a somewhat different version of their story with her commentary.

The book will also have appeal for devotees of 1980s and 1990s alternative rock. One thing that draws Art and Mercy together is music, particularly the albums of Husker Du, and the solo work of that band’s co-founder, Bob Mould. Mercy is something of a musical muse and mentor to Art, who becomes a musician during the course of the story. Music is a defining aspect of their friendship, as is Mercy’s hobby of using an old school Polaroid camera to take pictures. Mercy’s photography is a window to the things Art thinks he sees in her photos, and what they reveal about both Mercy and himself. Art’s fascination with Mercy’s photos, and his obsession with her true nature, fractures their friendship, and leads to some startling revelations by the end of the story.

The Pallbearers Club is part coming of age story, part vampire novel, and most of all, a moving and effective story of a deep and unusual friendship. While it’s not as overtly frightening as some of Tremblay’s other books, it does feature some eerie and unsettling scenes. What works best is the story's strong emotional core, which will touch (and maybe even break) your heart, especially in its finale. If you’ve enjoyed his other work, including A Head Full of Ghosts, Survivor Song, and the outstanding short story collection Growing Things, you'll find much to enjoy in this enthralling novel. The Pallbearers Club is one of Tremblay's best, and is worth adding to your "must read" list.

 

Retro TV: Revisiting the "Night Gallery"

Rod Serling is perhaps best known these days for creating, writing the lion’s share of scripts for, and hosting The Twilight Zone. Serling was involved with another series that showcased tales of horror, science-fiction and fantasy, which is fondly remembered by many genre TV fans. Night Gallery ran for three seasons on NBC in the early 1970s, following a pilot film which aired in 1969. The Night Gallery TV movie featured three tales of terror, all penned by Serling. The second segment of the pilot, entitled “Eyes,” starred Joan Crawford and Tom Bosley, and was the directorial debut of a young man named Steven Spielberg. The pilot was well-received, and during the 1970-71 TV season, Night Gallery premiered as part of a rotating group of shows called Four In One. Night Gallery’s hour-long episodes contained several segments of varying lengths. Serling hosted the series, standing in an art gallery, where he would refer to paintings (beautifully crafted by artist Tom Wright) which tied into the stories which aired that evening. In addition to the uncanny paintings rendered by Wright, the eerie theme music by Gil Melle helped add to the otherworldly atmosphere of the series. In its freshman year, Night Gallery offered episodes featuring Twilight Zone veterans Burgess Meredith, Agnes Moorehead and William Windom in memorable roles, and also also included appearances by Larry Hagman, Joanna Pettet, Diane Keaton, Phyllis Diller and John Colicos. 

Night Gallery generally leaned more into the horror and fantasy genres than science-fiction, and many of its best-remembered episodes were the ones that were genuinely eerie. These frightening entries included “The Doll,” an adaptation of a short story by Algernon Blackwood, and “Camera Obscura,” based on a story by Basil Copper. Serling wrote a number of original episodes for the series throughout its run, such as “Lone Survivor” and “Class of ‘99” and also contributed adaptations of classic tales by H.P. Lovecraft and Davis Grubb. A number of talented directors worked on the show, including John Badham, Jeannot Szwarc and John Newland. During its second season, Night Gallery, now airing as a standalone series, began including brief segments sandwiched between the longer stories. These “blackout” vignettes were often comedic in tone, and were the brainchild of producer Jack Laird. Serling clashed with Laird over them, as the writer-host felt their often lowbrow humor didn’t fit the overall style of the show. However, Serling didn’t have the kind of creative control on Night Gallery that he’d enjoyed on The Twilight Zone, so he had little say in the matter. For its third and final season, the series was cut to a half hour in length, though it still managed to offer some solid episodes, including “The Girl With The Hungry Eyes” based on the classic story by Fritz Lieber.
 
When Night Gallery entered syndication, the content of the show was drastically altered. The series was syndicated in a half hour format, so the longer segments from the first two seasons were cut to fit thirty minutes including commercials, while the shorter ones were expanded by adding unrelated stock footage, or by repeating shots and sequences, thus padding them out to the necessary length. Night Gallery only aired 43 episodes during its run, so in order to create the number of entries required to sell the series for syndication, Universal added episodes of the short-lived, hour long series The Sixth Sense, starring Gary Collins as an investigator of psychic phenomena, to the syndication package. The Sixth Sense episodes were severely edited to fit the half hour format, and Serling was brought in to film new introductions for them. For many years, Night Gallery could only be seen in these re-edited and re-worked versions, which diluted the impact of the best episodes of the series.
 
In a move that should delight fans of the show, Kino Lorber video is now issuing the series on Blu-ray. The first season set (which includes the pilot film) was made available last year, and the second season has just been released. These beautifully remastered editions feature insightful and compelling commentaries on every episode by genre experts like Tim Lucas, Kim Newman, and Amanda Reyes as well as filmmakers such as Guillermo Del Toro. There are also featurettes included which explain how the series was altered for syndication, a look at the paintings showcased in the show, and a retrospective on the series featuring interviews with guest stars and crew members. If you remember watching Night Gallery on TV in the 1970’s, and are a devoted fan of the series, as I am, these terrific Blu-ray sets will warm (or is that chill?) your heart. They’re highly recommended. Here’s a promo created for the series when it aired on the cable channel Mystery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtM3jBTOnO0.

"Ride The Pink Horse" Into Noir Territory

Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix and Thomas Gomez

Robert Montgomery was a talented actor who was as adept at dramatic parts as he was at the comedic roles that initially made him a star. He also had a strong interest in working behind the scenes in films. Montgomery made his debut behind the camera with Lady in the Lake (1947) an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel. The movie was unique for its time, telling the story via the perspective of the lead character, detective Philip Marlowe (played by Montgomery) who is never seen on screen, except for a couple of brief sequences. His second directorial effort, Ride The Pink Horse (1947), is an intriguing, offbeat, and very effective noir tale. The story begins when a disillusioned WWII veteran named Gagin (portrayed by Montgomery) shows up in San Pablo, a small New Mexico town. He's looking for a mobster named Frank Hugo. Gagin is seeking revenge for a friend's murder, and has a plan that involves blackmailing Hugo.

Gagin has arrived during the town's annual fiesta. He's having trouble finding a hotel room until a local girl named Pila helps him locate one. As he hatches his scheme to take down Hugo, he's befriended by Pila and also the ebullient Pancho, who operates the town's carousel. But as often happens in the noir world, things spiral in ways that he doesn't expect. He crosses paths with a Federal agent named Retz, who's also after Hugo, and warns Gagin to stay away from the gangster. Gagin also meets Marjorie, Hugo's girlfriend, who entices him to alter his plan to include her. Gagin then has to contend with both Hugo and Marjorie, who in true femme fatale fashion, isn't all she seems to be. Is Hugo one step ahead of Gagin? Just whose side is Retz on? Is Gagin out to get justice for his friend, or obtain himself a big payday via his blackmail scheme? Will Pilar and Pancho help him escape this web of deceit and double crosses? 

The movie features exquisite cinematography by Russell Metty, who worked on two well-regarded Orson Welles films, The Stranger and Touch of Evil. There's a particularly striking sequence late in the movie when a wounded and disoriented Gagin wanders around the fiesta, trying to get his bearings. The performances are strong; Montgomery deftly conveys Gagin's sense of weariness and isolation, and his struggle to understand the different world in which he finds himself after the war. Wanda Hendrix is wonderful as Pila. The character isn't portrayed as the typical "young girl in love with an older man" part found in many stories of this type. She becomes a friend and guardian angel to Gagin. Pila's optimism and faith is nicely contrasted against Gagin's cynicism. Thomas Gomez (who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) also moves past stereotype and portrays Pancho as a three dimensional character. Fred Clark is appropriately oily as Frank Hugo. Art Smith as Retz and Andrea King as the double-crossing Marjorie are also quite good in their roles.

The film was produced by Joan Harrison, who is best known for her work with Alfred Hitchcock, both for the big screen and on television. The screenplay is by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, based on a book by Dorothy Hughes. Hughes also wrote the novel which served as the basis for the classic Humphrey Bogart noir, In a Lonely Place, directed by Nicholas Ray. Ride The Pink Horse is often screened on Turner Classic Movies and other cable movie channels. There is also a fantastic Blu-ray edition of the film released in 2015 by the Criterion Collection, which includes an insightful audio commentary by noir experts by Alain Silver and James Ursini. Ride The Pink Horse features a compelling story in an unusual setting, great cinematography, and some fine performances, all anchored by excellent direction from star Robert Montgomery. It's one of my favorite noir films, an opinion shared by rocker Steven Van Zandt, who gave a shout out to the movie when he profiled Montgomery on a recent edition of his Sirius XM series, Little Steven's Underground Garage. Here's a link to the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVcdFIWT6zA.

Strange New Worlds: A Valentine For Trek Fans

Anson Mount as Captain Pike

Back in May, I wrote about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the Paramount+ series that's a prequel to the original Star Trek. At the time of my original post, only two episodes of the show had aired. Based on what I'd seen, I expressed the opinion that the show could turn out to be one of the best Star Trek series since Deep Space Nine. The season finale of the show was made available for streaming last week, and I definitely stand by my assessment. Across ten episodes, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has become my favorite of the current crop of Trek shows, and I believe it will go on to be considered one of the best of the spinoff series. Over the course its first season, Strange New Worlds has treated us to a variety of marvelous stories, including a delightful body-swap tale centered on Mr. Spock, a classic spaceship battle, a dark and eerie horror-themed episode, and even a comedic entry where the cast got to act out of character in a fantasy-oriented tale featuring wizards and warriors.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds strongly evokes the essence of the original series, and continually offers compelling and thought-provoking stories. Like the best of Classic Trek, the style and tone of the episodes may vary, but they're always entertaining, and provide us with some neat twists on the formula. Since the series is more episodic in nature than some of the other recent Trek outings, it allows for broader (and often hugely entertaining) strokes in the storytelling, while still offering intriguing ongoing arcs for the characters. The season finale, "A Quality of Mercy" is a brilliant re-imagining of "Balance of Terror," one of the best episodes of the original series.

No major spoilers here, but "A Quality of Mercy" features the Strange New Worlds version of a character from Trek's classic years who's much beloved by fans, and offers a ton of Easter eggs and visual callbacks to "Balance of Terror." It's also a time-travel tale, which is another hallmark of some of Trek's strongest episodes throughout its history. "A Quality of Mercy" uses the framework of the original episode to tell a captivating alternate version of the story, which nicely builds on the ongoing arc for the central character of Captain Pike, played by Anson Mount. "A Quality of Mercy" is one of the best entries of the season, and it will definitely go on to be considered one of the best episodes of all of the modern Trek series. The episode also sets up some intriguing ideas to explore in Season 2 of the show, which is scheduled to arrive in 2023.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a valentine for Classic Trek fans. The show is clearly being created with a lot of love, care and respect by people who have a deep love and affection for classic Trek. The cast is nothing short of superb. In addition to Anson Mount's excellent work as Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Nurse Chapel, Celia Rose Gooding as Uhura, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M'Benga and Rebecca Romjin as Number One have all been outstanding, while Melissa Navia and Bruce Horak have become fan favorites as Ortegas and Hemmer, characters new to the franchise. The first season of this series has been one of the strongest of any Trek iteration since the original. If you're a Star Trek fan, and you're not watching this show, you're missing out on some of the best (and most enjoyable) Trek stories we've seen in a long time. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds airs on Paramount+. Here's a (spoiler-filled) look at the finale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tliWxURB2OM.

Watch Out! Evil Brains From Outer Space!

John Agar & Joyce Meadows

Depending on when you first viewed them, there are some films which are much more than simple “B Movies.” These movies transcend the term “guilty pleasure” and tend to permanently lodge themselves into your psyche. They’re not necessarily considered classics of their genre, but they’re often the most fun to watch. I’m thinking of films like House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price, which I first saw (and loved) on Creature Features as a young fan of macabre cinema. Many of us who are of a certain age caught movies like this for the first time on our local stations, often presented by “horror hosts” like The Creep and Zacherle, on programs like Chiller Theatre or Fright Night. One of my favorite films of this type is The Brain From Planet Arous, a 1957 sci-fi thriller starring John Agar and Joyce Meadows. It’s the story of a scientist named Steve March, who becomes possessed by an evil floating brain from outer space. Yes, you read that correctly, our hero is taken over by Gor, a megalomaniacal alien brain who plans to conquer the world using his superior intellect. Oh, and since Gor’s controlling Steve’s mind and body, he also figures he can enjoy a dalliance with his fiancé, Sally. Gor is definitely bad news.



Who can save us from this vile villain? Well, maybe Vol can! Before you ask, Vol is another floating brain from Arous, and he’s here to apprehend Gor, who’s a wanted criminal on their home world. Vol decides to inhabit Sally’s dog, and work with her to stop Gor, in order to curtail his plans for world domination. Will they stop him in time? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out! The Brain From Planet Arous is a lot of fun, and it’s a prime example of 1950s low-budget sci-fi film-making. The movie was produced by Jacques Marquette, who also served as the cinematographer for the film. Marquette was behind the camera for another fondly remembered 1950s sci-fi flick, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. The Brain From Planet Arous was written by Ray Buffum, and it shares some thematic similarities with science-fiction writer Hal Clement’s 1949 novel Needle, about an alien policeman sent to Earth to capture an evil villain. The central idea of heroic and villainous body-possessing aliens would also be explored in the 1987 film The Hidden, starring Kyle MacLachlan.



John Agar, best known for his work in films like Sands of Iwo Jima and Fort Apache (where he co-starred with John Wayne) as well as several other 1950’s sci-fi movies, including Revenge of the Creature and Invisible Invaders, plays Steve. Agar essentially chews up every bit of scenery that’s not nailed down in his performance as the alien-possessed scientist. Joyce Meadows is good as Steve’s fiancé Sally, and there’s fine support from Robert Fuller (in a brief role as Steve’s fellow scientist), and character actor Thomas Browne Henry (a familiar face from genre films like 20 Million Miles To Earth) as Sally’s father. The film was directed by Nathan Juran, who also helmed The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and First Men in the Moon. When he wasn’t happy with the final results of a film, as was the case with The Brain From Planet Arous as well as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, he used the pseudonym Nathan Hertz for his director credit.

I really dug this movie when I first saw it in my younger years, and I’ve always found it enjoyable when re-watching it as an adult. Those floating brains are pretty creepy, and what self-respecting kid (of any age) doesn’t enjoy it when a dog (albeit an alien-possessed one) gets to help out with the heroics in the story? The Brain From Planet Arous has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray by the fine folks at The Film Detective. The disc includes a new short film with Joyce Meadows, a pair of featurettes on the career of Nathan Juran, and a commentary track featuring noted film historians Tom Weaver, Larry Blamire and David Schecter, as well as co-star Meadows. You have a choice of viewing the film in either 1.33 or 1.85 aspect ratios. The movie runs about an hour and 10 minutes so it’s a perfect candidate for half of a cool 1950s sci-fi double feature on movie night. Perhaps you can pair it with Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Invasion of the Saucer Men or Tarantula, which also stars John Agar. Here’s a link to The Film Detective website: https://www.thefilmdetective.com/, and a link to the film’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcHuR7Cir50.

Bob Burger's Superb "The Domino Effect"

Bob Burger is a founding member of New Jersey’s fabulous Beatles-inspired band, The Weeklings, a group in which he plays rhythm guitar as Zeek Weekling. He’s also a gifted songwriter who has penned tunes for artists including Styx, Kasim Sulton, and Donnie Iris. Burger has issued several marvelous solo discs, and his latest, The Domino Effect, is currently streaming online, and will be released on CD July 1 from JEM Records. The album features eleven top-notch songs that will definitely appeal to fans of 1970s and 1980s rock, power pop and new wave. The record kicks off with “The Suicide King,” a tale about a guy who “does what he wants,” even though he might be making some bad life decisions. That tongue in cheek opening number is followed by “Impression,” a fantastic, new wave-infused song which sounds like it's a lost track from Squeeze.

The Domino Effect aptly displays the breadth of Burger’s talent for writing terrific tunes, often laced with wry lyrics and a subtle touch of humor. The songs on the album evoke a number of styles, from pop-rock ballads like the lovely “Only A Way” and “Merely Beautiful” to straight ahead rockers such as the Tom Petty-esque “The One-Eyed Jack” and the alternative-flavored “Pain In The Ass." There’s a definite Crowded House feel to the excellent “Two Bodies,” and a dash of country on the wonderful “I’m Free,” and the sublime “Even If You Don’t.” The record closes with the superb “Rock & Roll Band.”  

The album is a treasure trove of outstanding songs, featuring heavenly harmonies, crackling guitars and taut, solid drum work in the classic rock and roll style. In addition to the masterful lead guitar work and extraordinary vocals from Burger, the album includes a magnificent group of backing musicians, including Jimmy Leahey and John Merjave on guitar, Jerry Gaskill on drums, Lisa Sherman on background vocals, and Arne Wendt and Plink Giglio on keyboards. The exceptional production work by Burger gives the album a sparkling pop-rock sheen that’s perfect for these exquisite songs.

The Domino Effect effectively celebrates Burger’s musical influences, which include artists like Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and The Beatles, while offering his own spin on the pop, rock and alternative genres. These are songs that will absolutely get stuck in your head, and touch your heart. This is a splendid album that deserves repeat spins on your music device of choice, and it should absolutely be part of the soundtrack of your summer. The Domino Effect is now available for streaming and will be released July 1 on CD on JEM Records.