Going Back to 1973-- Part 3: "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'

Fifty years ago was quite busy for me.  I graduated from NIU, got married, bought my first car, got my first apartment and started a teaching career that lasted for 33 years.  These were songs that I sure associate with that time.

DANCING DAYS--  Led Zeppelin

LET'S GET IT ON--  Marvin Gaye  (Whenever I hear this song, I can't help but think about that episode in "King of Queens" when they went to the B&B.)

ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY--  Joe Walsh

NO MORE MR. NICE GUY-- Alice Cooper

GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD--  Elton John

SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT--  Bruce Springsteen

JET--  Paul McCartney

HOCUS POCUS--  Focus

MONTANA--  Frank Zappa

WE'RE AN AMERICAN BAND--  Grand Funk Railroad

ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS--  Mott the Hoople

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "I've Been Really Tryin', Baby."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Let's Get It On"

Going Back to 1971-- Part 2: 'Angel From Montgomery'

I was driving a 1963 Rambler station wagon that used a quart of oil every fifty miles or so.  You always knew where I was, just whiff the air.  Called it the "Ramblin' Wreck" for some reason.  Of course, station wagons were the SUVs of their day.

It stuck out at UGA where most all the rich boys and girls had newer and much more expensive vehicles.  It blended in at NIU whose students weren't as rich.

STARSHIP TROOPER--  Yes

TIRED OF BEING ALONE--  Al Green

ANGEL FROM MONTGOMERY--  John Prine   A great Chicago performer.

 CROSSEYED MARY--  Jethro Tull   They won the Grammy's first Heavy Metal Group Grammy.  Heavy Metal?

SUNSHINE--  Jonathan Edwards

PROUD MARY--  Ike and Tina Turner

NO ONE TOO DEPEND ON--  Santana

BROWN SUGAR--  Rolling Stones

TOO MANY PEOPLE--  Paul McCartney

SMILING FACES--   Undisputed Truth

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Well, How Much Does It Cost, I'll Buy It."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

Sunshine"

Sometimes You Need Some Cruisin' Music, 1972-- Part 1: 'Me and Julio Down By the Old School Yard'

On August 21, 2021, Frank E. Lee of Chicago's WXRT, 93.1 FM went back to 1972, 49 years ago and played music you'd hear on WXRT.  This was WXRT's first year on the radio when it would come on at midnight on a foreign language station.  So glad to still have them.

And, of course, here is some really good cruisin' music.

BLUE SKY--  Allman Brothers Band

ME AND JULIO DOWN BY THE OLD SCHOOL YARD--  Paul Sinon

TUMBLING DICE--  Rolling Stones

FRANCINE--  ZZ Top

ROCKET MAN--  Elton John   Always reminds me of driving from the University of Georgia to NIU to see him at the Chick Evans Field House.  I drove the famous Ramblin' Wreck, a '63 Rambler my parents had bought me.  It got about 50 miles to the quart of oil.

COCONUT--  Nilsson

DO IT AGAIN--  Steely Dan

THE LION SLEPS TONIGHT--  Robert John

HI HI HI--  Paul McCartney

IT DOESN'T MATTER--  Stephen Stills

LONG DISTANCE RUNAROUND/THE FISH--  Yes

Nam That Tune (from the above songs):  "She Packed My Bags Last Night Pre-Flight."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Rocket Man"

Along 66, November 2020: Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and Paul Was Here (in 2008)

NOVEMBER 11

The Illinois Scenic Byway unveils its revamped website, mobile app and membership program.

NOVEMBER 17

New sign marks Paul McCartney's brief stop on Route 66 in Oklahoma on August 5, 2008.  That year, Paul and his future wife Nancy Shevell drove Route 66 in a 1989 Bronco.  This was on his 66th birthday, so Paul did 66 when he was 66.  We happened to be on Route 66 a short time after that and there was a lot of talk about and sightings that people were talking about.  

One place they stayed at was the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in OKC.

This gave us then idea to do this when we turned 66 and we did.

And, George Washington Did Not Sleep Here.  --RoadDidn't

Sometimes I Just Need Some Music in the Midst of a Pandemic and In 1975, Who'd Ever Heard of Social Distancing?: 'Lyin' Eyes'

Today, Chicago's WXRT, 93.1 FM is going back 45 years to those pre-virus days, when music was music, concerts were held and you weren't afraid to get close to people.

The show ran from 9 to noon CST.

Some of the songs they played:

FRANKLIN'S TOWER--  Grateful Dead

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY--  Queen  Shake your head and let all that hair bounce around.

TOYS IN THE ATTIC--  Aerosmith

VENUS & MARS/ ROCK SHOW--  Wings

LYIN' EYES--  Eagles

I'M ON FIRE--  Dwight Twilley 

WISH YOU WERE HERE--  Pink Floyd

MEXICO--  James Taylor

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL--  Lynyrd Skynyrd

HEARD IT ON THE X--  ZZ Top

BIG BOSS MAN--  Koko Taylor    The Queen of the Blues

10TH AVENUE FREEZEOUT--  Bruce Springsteen

STRANGE MAGIC--  Electric Light Orchestra

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN--  Marshall Tucker Band   Southern Rock with a Flute.  Who'd a'figgered?

HOW LONG--  Ace

SLOW RIDE--  Foghat

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Is This The Real Life?  Is This Just Fantasy?"  Answer below.  -- RoadDog

"Bohemian Rhapsody"

Feel the Need for 1975 (BVC)-- Part 2: "Listen To What the Man Said"

No Social Distancing here.

WORLD TURNING--  Fleetwood Mac
FASCINATION--  David Bowie
I'M NOT  IN LOVE--  10 CC

DOWN BY THE SEASIDE--  Led Zeppelin
LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID--  Paul McCartney
BLUE JEAN BLUES--  ZZ Top

GOOD LOVIN' GONE BAD--  Bad Company
OLD DAYS--  Chicago
WALK THIS WAY--  Aerosmith

CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME--  Eric Clapton
NO WOMAN NO CRY--  Bob Marley
ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY--  Ian Hunter

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Drive-In Movies, Comic Books, Howdy Doody, BaseballCards And Birthdays."    Answer below.  --RoadDog


"Old Days"

Cruisin' Tunes 1973-- Part 2: "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Coo"

Music to pop that old cassette into the car player and cruise down the road.  Wait, my car doesn't have a cassette player.  NO FAIR!!!

LOST WAGES--  Steely Dan
ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN--  ELO
MY LOVE--  Paul McCartney & Wings

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT--  Bruce Springsteen
ROCK AND ROLL, HOOCHIE COO--  Rick Derringer
READY OR NOT--  Jackson Browne

GIVE ME THREE STEPS--  Lynyrd Skynyrd
RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIME-- Dr. John
LET'S GET IT ON--  Marvin Gaye

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "I Was Cutting the Rug Down At A Place Called The Jug."  Answer Below.  --RoadDog


"Give Me Three Steps"

Paul's on 66? Is on 66

By now, it is apparent that Paul McCartney and his new girl friend are taking a month-long trip, part of which is on the historic Route 66.

The Route 66 e-mail group on Yahoo has been following his trip.

Member Carolyn Hasenfratz of the group said that Paul once said that his song "Helen Wheels" is supposed to br the British version of Route 66 and he mentions several British places,

Another member has done a good job putting Sir Paul's (as they are referring to him) trip in words to the tune of "Band on the Run." Pretty impressive.

In Oklahoma City, the couple ate at Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante and Bar. In Amarillo, they stayed at the historical Skirvin Hilton where they met a Beatle fan couple who even named their 4 month old son Jude. Paul played the harmonica for him but didn't want pictures taken.

In Tucumcari, they spent an hour at Things antique store (should have been the Tepee). They also got take out from Del's Restaurant.

Here's Hopin' for a Route 66 Song on Paul's Next Album. --RoadDog

More on Joliet-- Part 2: Lincoln Highway and Route 66 Intersect There

Route 66, but no mention of the Lincoln Highway.

One of the interesting aspects of Joliet is that it is one of the only two places where the Lincoln Highway and Route 66, the Father Road and Mother Road, intersected (the other in a later bypass in nearby Plainfield).

The July 12th Chicago Tribune article by Emma graves Fitzsimmons raved about how much was being done with 66, but NO mention of equally important Lincoln Highway.

"An increasingly popular destination is the Route 66 welcome center that opened at the Joliet Area Historical Museum last year. Visitors come from as far away as Japan and Denmark (and England, or the Hamptons if you count Paul McCartney) to travel the road and learn about American history. An imitation drive-in movie theater plays a video about the route's history in the lobby, and the visitor book includes signatures from 35 states and 40 countries."

Said Tony Contos, the museum's interin director, "The legend of Route 66 carries a mystique, and it captures something nostalgic. You get to see America, starting in a big city and winding through towns. You see mountains and deserts--it's a great picture of America."

I could have told you that. What always amazes me is that foreigners seem to have more of a knowledge of 66 than most Americans.

And, hey, let's not forget Lincoln Highway, the very first transcontinental highway, preceding Route 66 by 13 years and one of the original "named highways."

Of course, Joliet also has US-6 and US-52 as well as train and interstate connections.

Great City and Worth a Visit. --RoadDog

Paul's On 66?

On the Abbey Road album, we thought that Paul McCartney might be dead bvecause of his being barefoot. But, now we know he is on Route 66. Or, maybe he's on Route 66. Only his hair color person knows for sure.

I belong to the Route 66 e-mail group on Yahoo which has a log of members and correspondence.

Sir Paul being on 66 has gotten some discussion. One person has a picture from Springfield of Paul posing with a group of people, and, he was sighted in Lebanon, Missouri, at a gas station right across from the Bell Restaurant that was visited by Barack Obama this last week.

So, is he on the road or not. Maybe it's just a poser?

Anyway, Beatlemania on 66!!! Hey, I was more of a CCR Fan. --RoadDog

Beatles on Route 66

Well, one of the two remaining Beatles, and, even at that, that's a maybe.

A column in yesterday's Chicago Tribune by Mary Schmich, reports that someone looking a lot like Sir Paul, as in McCartney, was seen, or someone who looks a LOT LIKE HIM, at the Route 66 Welcome Center at the Joliet Area Historical Museum this past Saturday.

Supposedly, Paul asked for no pictures, but he was seen on security tape, and it did look like him.

Supposedly, he asked a museum worker if 66 was pronounced "root" or "rout." He bought sever4al maps of the road. Could that mean he's going for a ride? Today, I see several other sources saying Paul is driving Route 66 this month.

Looking forward to more stories, if this is indeed true. Imagine Paul stopping to visit with Ernie Edwards at the Pig Hip, Bill Shea, having a Cozy Dog, or staying at the Munger-Moss and visiting with Ramona and Bob.

Who'd a Thunk, Beatles on the Route. Maybe He'll Write the New Definitive 66 Song.
--RoadDog