ELVYN LOVES YOU BLOG TIME!

Bill Haley or Elvis Presley?

For years the age old question has always been “The Beatles or Elvis Presley”. While people speculate and debate both they’re importance and influence…..What about Bill Haley?

If Mr. Haley was 10 years younger when he broke out on the scene and had Elvis’s looks and swagger would he not be the King of Rock n’ Roll?

“Shake, Rattle and Roll” was said to be the first rock and roll record. Others claim Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right” was the first. However, “Rock Around The Clock” was rock and roll’s first mega hit, undisputed!

“When released, “Rock Around The Clock” only enjoyed average sales. Maybe it was an idea whose time had not yet come. Then something extraordinary happened. A year after “Rock Around The Clock” hit record stores, MGM used the recording for the title track of “The Blackboard Jungle”, a film about juvenile delinquency. Teenagers finally had a song that reflected their own rebellious nature and sales skyrocketed. Rock and roll was in. Unfortunately, it’s first practitioner was already on his way out.

As soon as teens got their first gander at him in concert or on television, he was doomed. Bill Haley with his funny-looking spit curl was already 30 years old (and looked it) as well as overweight — just another adult in the kid’s eyes. Furthermore, he was also a victim of his own success. By the time he had recorded two more hits, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “See You Later, Alligator”, he was rapidly losing ground to younger singers who had followed his lead and were now recording their own rock records. Bill Haley was ancient history.

After 1957, Haley enjoyed no more hit records. He spent the rest of his life touring and performing in rock and roll revivals and died in 1981 of a heart attack. Haley was 55 years old”. -Charles Edwin Price

The new age old question should be “Bill Haley & The Comets or Elvis Presley”…. Ponder & argue…..most importantly enjoy!

Key Tracks: Rock around the clock, Shake Rattle & Roll, See you later Aligator.

‘Till next time!!

Neil Young’s ‘59 Lincoln……Linc-Volt.

Neil Young is still working on his ‘59 Lincoln (Or Linc-Volt)….with movie to follow.

Here’s an interesting article from CNN……that Crazy Neil!!….what will he think of next?!

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“You know, I thought long ago you could change the world by writing songs, But you can’t change the world by writing songs. Oh, you can inspire a few people, get some of them to change their thinking about something. But you can’t change the world by writing songs. “But we could change it with this car.”

-Neil Young

On a beautiful, crisp late fall afternoon, rock icon Neil Young took his 1959 Lincoln Continental for one last spin before a team of mechanics ripped out its gas-guzzling engine to make way for an electric motor.

Neil Young watches as mechanics remove the engine from his 1959 Lincoln Continental.

Car buffs may think it’s sacrilege to tear apart an automotive classic, but Young wants it to have a new life as a fuel-efficient hybrid.

“If we’re going to make a difference, truly make cars more environmentally friendly,” Young said, “we have to make that emotional connection.”

Young said everyone has a connection with an old car like the Lincoln.

It only took about an hour for Johnathan Goodwin and his four-man team to pry the engine out of Young’s Lincoln. He’ll have the new engine installed in 45 days.

Talking about the old motor, Goodwin says, “Of course, it’s not fuel efficient at all. It’s a big polluter, one of the biggest rawest forms.”

The Lincoln’s new electric engine will power the car and when it begins to lose juice, Young will simply flip a switch and the car will run on biodiesel fuel until the electric motor is recharged. “A 19-foot-long car, the longest car ever made at its time. Two and half tons, the heaviest car at its time,” Young said, “And it can get 100 miles to the gallon, not 10 miles to the gallon.”

Young renamed his car Linc-Volt, and is making a movie about the transformation, which he hopes to release next year.

Goodwin is making a name for himself — and his company, H-Line Conversions — by turning gas-guzzling behemoths like Hummers, Cadillac Escalades, Jeeps and other big American cars into clean-power machines.

The first thing he does is remove the old inefficient engine — even if it’s a brand new vehicle — and replace it with a diesel engine that can run on biodiesel.

“It’s the transformation of what I call old technology to new technology,” Goodwin says.

Here’s his analogy: Remember 15 or so years ago when a cellular phone was the size of a brick. Now it’s a lot smaller, because the industry underwent a ton of changes over the years.

The same kinds of advances are made in engines. But since it’s so expensive, changes to cars are made in leaps, not tiny steps.

What’s the drawback of his method? You guessed it. Cost.

“It’s not cost-effective for someone to run out and spend $40,000 to double the fuel economy, but I have no shortage of customers,” Goodwin says.

Including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who’s having his Wagoneer converted to biodiesel.

Goodwin, 37, drives a 1987 gas burning Wagoneer, rents his home and will sheepishly tell you he didn’t graduate from high school.

Expect to hear a lot more about Goodwin in the future.

Companies are knocking down the door to work on projects with him. Goodwin’s developing a download that can be installed in a car’s computer and improve the mileage by five to seven mpg without losing performance. He expects it to cost about $200.

Ask Goodwin what his favorite project is, and he answers, “the next one” but the Linc-Volt project has been special. “We’re going to prove you can have your cake and eat it too so to speak,” Goodwin proudly boasts.

Article: CNN.com

Link: http://www.lincvolt.com/

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O.k…… We’ll check back in on this at a later date…

Louris & Olson New album!

The New album from ex-Jayhawkers, is on the way!!!

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Acclaimed musicians Gary Louris and Mark Olson are set to release “Ready for the Flood” a new album due out November 15th, 2009 on New West Records. Though the two have toured together and previously renewed their friendship, this is the first new release from the pair since Olson left the Jayhawks in 1995. Ready for the Flood, produced by Chris Robinson (Black Crowes), not only reunites the two old friends but also their unrivaled harmonies and songwriting skills, reviving their unique sound.

The results of the reunion are undeniable, as can be read in early praise for the album: “These new memories—thank the Americana gods—are riddled with Louris and Olson’s past, but there are hints of even older musical moments…The production of Black Crowe Chris Robinson lends grit, but is never intrusive, letting the scruffy melodies and jigsaw-puzzle interlocking of these stellar voices do the heavy lifting.” (PASTE MAGAZINE)

“We are honored to release Ready for the Flood on New West” says Cameron Strang, President of New West Records. “Mark and Gary are both incredibly talented and together they have made a beautiful album it is very exciting for us.”

Ready for the Flood captures the stripped down, fingerpicking guitar playing and Laurel Canyon sound of an earlier time, with allusions to English folk — Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, John Renbourn — and a simpler, live recording technique where capturing the right vibe was as important as the sound. The result is an organic, intuitive and loosely confident album with several stand out tracks including on Turn Your Pretty Name Around and Chamberlain, SD.

Louris and Olson are scheduled to tour in Europe this fall with North American dates coming in the New Year. While the international release date is set to coincide with the European tour, the North American release will wait until January ’09.

Article Courtesy of Shock records.

Note:  Don’t forget to pick-up copies of both Gary Louris’s “Vagabonds” & Mark Olson’s “The Salavation Blues”……both great listens!! 

Enjoy!

Captain Jack Sparrow….is very rich!

Johnny Depp is to earn $61 million to appear in the fourth ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film, the highest upfront payment in film history.

The staggering sum is the largest upfront payment in film history and will see Johnny, 45, move to the top of Hollywood’s rich list - overtaking Will Smith - when he reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.

A source said: “It’s a hell of a lot of money for one movie but there’s only one man who can play Captain Jack Sparrow - and that’s Johnny Depp.

“Pirates just wouldn’t be the same without him, so they were more than willing to smash the record books to land Depp again. He’s been the star of the show every time.”

Earlier this year, Will was named the highest earning actor in Hollywood by Forbes magazine after he grossed $76 million in one year.

However, Johnny’s new deal will see his earnings soar to $137 million.

The source added: “He’s laughing all the way to the bank. Not only is he probably the biggest heartthrob in Hollywood, he’s now going to be the richest.”

Johnny’s co-stars in the first three films in the franchise, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, are unlikely to appear in the latest installment.

Do we really need a 4th installment?…..I guess for $61 Million dollars i would do it too……in fact i would eat dog vomit for that kinda’ dough!!

Good on ya’ Johnny!

2 to 4 drinks a day keeps the doctor away

But there’s a catch, guys: It only works at mealtime

Men live longer with a “modest” consumption of two to four glasses of wine or beer a day, says a controversial study from Italy, a country that knows its wine. But wait before you head for the bar: The Italians warn that how you drink is as important as how much.

And they say North Americans are doing it all wrong, and losing the potential health benefit.

The benefit works only if you drink exclusively at mealtime, and only at one meal a day they say —preferably while following a Mediterranean diet of fish, tomatoes, veggies and olive oil.

Going out at night to a bar is, for reasons no one knows, harder on your body.

And you still need to get some exercise.

Moderate drinking lowers the risk of premature death from all causes combined by 18 per cent, compared with non-drinkers, the authors from the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University of Campobasso conclude.

“Alcohol as a life insurance? Not exactly. The key word is moderation,” they add.

Drink too much and you can kill yourself, they note. And they say the North American style of drinking is heading down that road already.

The “meta-analysis,” or study combining 34 separate studies on alcohol and life expectancy, paints a very different picture of moderation from what Canadian doctors teach. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and many Canadian health groups recommend a maximum of 14 drinks a week for men and nine for women, and never more than two in a day.

The new Italian study is published today in the American Medical Association’s journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

While it says alcohol can save lives, a slow approach to savouring drinking at mealtimes is the key.

“It is also the way we drink that makes the difference: little amounts, preferably during meals, this appears to be the right way,” writes Giovanni de Gaetano, the research institute’s director. “This is another feature of the Mediterranean diet, where alcohol, wine above all, is the ideal partner of a dinner or lunch, but that’s all: the rest of the day must be absolutely alcohol-free.

“The message carried by scientific studies like ours is simple: alcohol can be a respectful guest on our table, but it is good just when it goes with a healthy lifestyle, where moderation leads us toward a consumption inspired by quality not by quantity.”

Men in North America are drinking the wrong way, the study team claims, and the parts of their analysis dealing with American men found fewer health benefits associated with drinking.

On both continents, they add, women have to be more cautious of wine because they metabolize it differently. One to two daily servings for women should be enough, they say.

A senior policy analyst for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse said four drinks a day would be unhealthy. European servings are often smaller, said Gerald Thomas.

The Canadian guidelines are based on a 12-ounce serving of regular beer or a five-ounce glass of wine.

Writer: Tom Spears, CanWest News Service

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Side Note: You’re key goal is to not look like this guy!

Not good!

Creed Bratton. Grass Roots to The Office.

This post will appeal mostly to fans of the T.V. show “The Office” (U.S. Version).

Creed Bratton who plays “Creed Bratton” (a fictional version of himself) the kleptomaniac quality assurance officer on “The office”, was in his early years a member of the popular rock group The Grass Roots from 1967–1971 . He had mentioned it on the show at one point, but i never thought anything of it, thinking it was just a joke or something the writers had added for a back story on his character, but it’s true, he was the guitarist for the band. Bratton left the group in 1969 to pursue an acting career, however he is still an active muscian having relesed 3 solo albums in 2001 & 2002. Creed is now 65 years old.

The grassroots most popular hits are: Let’s live for today / Sooner or Later / Midnight confessions.   (Trust me you know these songs like the back of your hand, or at least you should if you’re a music fan)

Personal favorite: Let’s live for today  (Love the energy on this one! Classic 60’s.)

Here’s the pictures to prove it!

Creed Bratton (Right Corner)

Creed Bratton Circa 1969

Creed Bratton now!   (“The Office”)

Good day!

Zeppelin tour still not happening…..

Like most Zeppelin fans……we get excited when we hear about a possible re-union (Ulthough it’ll never be the same without John Bonham).  Rumour after rumour, it looks like the latest rumour of a possible tour & album next summer are again just that, a rumour….

Band insiders have said that Plant, who is touring the United States with Alison Krauss, has been the most reluctant to get back together, and a statement on his website on Monday made clear his intentions.

-“Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are currently touring the USA on the last leg of their ‘Raising Sand’ tour,” he said, adding that the tour finished on October 5.

“After those dates, Robert has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years.

“Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin.”

He called the reports “both frustrating and ridiculous,” before adding: “I wish (guitarist) Jimmy Page, (bassist/instrumentalist) John Paul Jones and (drummer) Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects.” -

Side Note:  If you haven’t heard Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising sand, you’re missing out. It’s remarkably good, equal parts Rock & Bluegrass…..perfect blend of genres and vocals…..when i first heard they were teaming up for an album i was skeptical, boy was i wrong! Many, Many listens later i find myself returning to this hidden gem (maybe not so hidden anymore). 

Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (Oct. 11, 2007)

Ta Ta! For now.

Paul Newman 1925-2008 

Sorry Folks!……a little late, but thought it was important to post. 

Oscar winning actor (and Legend) Died of lung Cancer on the weekend at the age of 83.

Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (1969)

Slapshot (1977)

Watch Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid and then watch it again……tell me that’s not a classic……and of course, Slapshot is one of the best sports movies of all time!

Other Classics:

Cool Hand Luke (1967)

The Sting (1973)

The Color of Money (1986)

R.I.P

The Savannah Room

Here’s some pics from last night’s Elvyn show at The Savannah Room in Toronto. Great night of music!