The Sudden Curve

Cyd Charisse RIP (1921-2008)

Posted by Wally Conger, who loves great legs.

The Only Country Music I Like

Posted by Bob Wallace, who's embarrassed by Toby Keith.

Music Video Babe: Ann Wilson

Not that long ago I posted an MV Babe entry for Nancy Wilson. This time Sister Ann gets the treatment. If I had to pick between them (not a likely event), even though in the 70's Ann was one of the hottest "babes" of rock, I favor(ed) Nancy's looks. However, Ann has one of the best voices in rock and sang lead for Heart: one of my favorite groups.

I could pick any number of Heart videos, since Ann will grace them all, but I like their earliest work best. I used "Dreamboat Annie" for Sister Nancy. I could use "Magic Man," "Barracuda," "Little Queen" or others for Ann, and Nancy will decorate those videos too. However, for the best balance of video quality, performance and song, I like this cut of "Crazy On You."

Since Ann singing lead got a good portion of Nancy's video, turnabout is fair play. Nancy gives a great guitar solo intro to Ann's superlative voice on this classic -

Happy Birthday Ann Wilson.

Find out more about Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart and their other projects at Heart Music.

Posted by Tom Ender, who has always enjoyed the sort of craziness mentioned in this song.

Re-posted by Tom Novak, because we lost the You Tube embed on this one just when he needed to listen to the Wilson sisters ... real bad, right now!

Re-reposted by Tom Novak, because he can ...

Music Video Babe :: Marlene Dietrich

Marlene smoked on film often, so I imagine Wally would rate her as a smokin' babe. However, I focus on music and video here.

She starred in one of my favorite old films. I'm not thinking of The Blue Angel but Golden Earrings (I guess my fascination with gypsies shows up again). I don't remember any singing in that movie, so we'll go with perhaps her most famous song.

Happy Birthday Marlene, where ever you are !

Posted by Tom Ender, who offers a different example of Marlene singing at Memory, Making, Meaning.

Music Video Babe -- Tina Turner

For energy and perseverance, I can't think of Tina Turner's equal. YouTube has many videos of Tina, but I like this one for this tribute --   

I waited a bit too long to get this in on Tina's birthday, which was Nov. 26th, but Happy Belated Birthday Tina!!!

Posted by Tom Ender, who has another tribute to Tina at Memory, Making, Meaning

Joey Heatherton for Serta mattresses

Posted by Wally Conger, who asks, "Now do you understand my 37-year fascination for Joey?"

Armed and Dangerous, Music Video Babe :: Joey Heatherton ~ from the Dean Martin Show

posted by Tom Novak, who isn't sure, but thinks Joey got her start on "Hullabaloo."

Music Video Babe :: Olivia Newton-John (again)

About a year ago, while gathering information for my "Great Individuals" feature of Ender's Review, I noticed that Olivia Newton-John had her birthday. For the last few years I have not used living people for "Great Individuals", instead honoring those who have passed to the next realm of existence, whatever that might be.

After coming upon Olivia's birthday, I scanned YouTube and watched a bunch of her old videos. It got me wondering and a few weeks later I posted my first Music Video Babe entry here which focused on Olivia. The particular YouTube video I picked "is no longer available," but one can usually find her classic "mirrors and rug video" in one or more postings there with a YouTube search.

I didn't make that first MV Babe entry on Olivia's birthday as I have tried to do for subsequent music video babes, so I'm revisiting Olivia today on her birthday with a special video I found, made from multiple performances of one of her earlier hits. I really like the video as it shows her passage through thirty years.

Happy Birthday Olivia . . .

and may you have many more.

Posted by Tom Ender, who got Olivia's music Video Gold volume one on DVD for Christmas last year. Maybe this year volume two.

Just Plain Dangerous Babe Celine Dion

I haven’t been a Celine Dion fan — until now. Here’s the cover of her new CD. I haven’t heard it yet, and I doubt I ever will. But I am thrilled with Celine’s new “look” on the CD jacket. She looks like she wants to, uh, hurt me. If only she’d played the White Witch in Disney’s Narnia movie a couple of years ago, that film would have been perfect.

Taking Chances

Posted by Wally Conger, who admits that he has some "problems" with women.

MV Babe :: Chrissie Hynde

Chrissie fronts for The Pretenders. Besides singing, she also writes music and plays the guitar.

In the "golden era" of MTV, during the 1980s, her group had some hugely popular video hits. I like "Back on the Chain Gang" but my favorite by her and that band has to be "Brass in Pocket."

In the music video Chrissie plays a waitress, who, at least wearing that uniform, bears an uncanny resemblance to my first wife: Jean. Jean was a few years younger than Chrissie and I doubt they had much other than "a look" in common.

However, that look and the flirtatious nature of Chrissie's character in this video seem to me remarkably similar to Jean in her younger days when we met, married and tried raising a family. Back then, before I went back to college, Jean waited tables and I worked as a short-order cook, more than 5 years before "Brass In Pocket" became popular.

Jean and I had very little interaction over the last 25 years, since we divorced. She succumbed to cancer last month. As far as I know Chrissie prospers.

Anyway, here's that video --

Happy Birthday Chrissie Hynde.

Posted by Tom Ender, who may have conquered his weakness for waitresses. At least, I tell Julie that.

MV Babe :: Belinda Carlisle

Long before Destiny's Child or The Spice Girls, even before The Bangles, came The Go-Gos . . . .

Belinda Carlisle sang lead for The Go-Gos before pursuing a solo career.

Embedded below find my favorite GoGos tune.

Happy Birthday Belinda Carlisle.

Posted by Tom Ender, who remembers riding in enormous "boats" like the car in that video.

Music Video Babe -- Kim Carnes

Like a few other well known artists Kim Carnes was once a New Christy Minstrel. However, I wasn't really aware of her singing until 1980 when she sang "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer" (Lois and Clark fans might especially like the preceding video) in a duet with Kenny Rogers (another onetime New Christy Minstrel).

1981 proved the true breakthrough year for her singing career.  Her album Mistaken Identity provided hits which also became music videos. The video for "Draw of the Cards," the second single released from the album, qualifies as truly surreal in its style. It even has a creepy clown or two for Wally. However, the first track became the biggest hit of 1981 --

Only Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" ranked as a bigger hit during the entire decade of the 1980s.

A belated Happy Birthday to Kim Carnes.

Posted by Tom Ender, who enjoys Kim's very distinctive voice, but it looks like I was a few minutes late for her birthday.

Armed and Dangerous, Music Video, Space Babe :: Joi Lansing

Wow, gorgeous Joi Lansing is a TRIPLE threat TSC babe!

You know, I used to watch the amazing Joi Lansing on Love That Bob! which was the rerun version of The Bob Cummings Show... although that was when it was on Nik at Nite in the 1980's.

But I do remember her as a regular on The Beverly Hillbillies as Lester Scruggs' wife... or was she Earl Flatt's wife?  Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter.  All she ever did was look slinky and go shopping - once I seem to remember that Granny tried to teach her to cook, but I don't think it worked.

Joi, a former Miss Hollywood and a Goldwyn Girl and a rival of Marlyn Monroe really was a pretty good actress and all around entertainer who was a very popular and successful blonde bombshell right at the time blonde bombshells dropped out of favor in movies.  Suddenly she had to make a living modeling polka-dot bikinis ~ something she did exceptionally well, woof!  She was part of the swanky world of Frank Sinatra in the 50's and worked steadily throughout the 60's as a television and stage performer and she became one of the most popular pin-ups of American soldiers in Viet Nam.

 

Here she is vamping it up and singing the  Elmer Bernstein title song from The Silencers - which, coincidentally, happens to be one of our favorite movies starring the great Dean Martin (who costarred with Joi in at least two movies) as super spy Matt Helm. Although in the movie the song is sung by Cyd Charisse.

posted by Tom Novak, who says Joi is a space babe in Queen of Outer Space, a movie so bad it's good.

 

Music Video Babe :: Debbie Harry

Occasionally picking a video which won't get pulled from YouTube presents a challenge. Many cuts of Debbie's best songs might come and go from videoland.

Debbie fronted the new wave group Blondie doing the vocals for the talented band. I like almost anything Blondie did in their many varied styles, from the hip hop-ish "Rapture," through "Atomic" and "Union City Blue" to "Heart of Glass," but "Dreaming" stands out as my favorite. (In  addition to Debbie it highlights several other band members, one a very hard working drummer.)

Happy Birthday Debbie Harry!!!

Debbie and most of the old band still entertain with their work.

Posted by Tom Ender, who really enjoys the look she gives the camera when she sings "people stop and stare at me" from "Dreaming."

Music Video Babe: Stevie Nicks

Ahhhh..... where to start with "The Goddess of Rock"?

Many of the Fleetwood Mac and solo MTV-era music videos have been removed from YouTube -- probably not at the request of Ms. Nicks -- but I can't be sure of that.

I don't have a single favorite "music video babe" but Stevie Nicks would be in any set of my favorites. Both her singing and her look from the heyday of Fleetwood Mac, as well as her solo career, make her a lasting image in any collection of mine showing off "female pulchritude" or talent.

I guess I'll start with a first easy recollection: my first wife and I almost named our daughter Rhiannon. I suspect that name has become more commonly given to girl children than it was in 1950.

After my first marriage dissolved, Stevie helped Olivia keep me me company on MTV while I stayed home either alone or taking care of the aforementioned daughter. The MTV-era "Gypsy" video ranked very highly with me then, but I can't find that online now. I did find this excellent photo collage to the same music.

In 1983 I saw Stevie perform live (Wild Heart Tour) at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI. That concert was one of the best I've ever attended. I remember Joe Walsh opened for her (excellent), but she blew the audience away with her set of songs. I ranked "Edge Of Seventeen" my favorite by her from that time period. This video has her commentary on that song laid over a live performance.

Videos seem to come and go at YouTube, but this one has survived a long time. It shows off Stevie at top of form from about the same time period as that Alpine Valley concert. Although originally performed by Fleetwood Mac, she "solos" here --

(At the end of that, one can hear the beginning of "Edge of Seventeen" starting.)

Stevie Nicks still tours performing her hits. (I'm now wishing for that Crystal Visions CD/DVD, oh yeah....!!!) 

Happy Birthday Stevie !!!

Crystal Visions - The Very Best of Stevie Nicks (CD / DVD)

Posted by Tom Ender, who wishes he was still as young and energetic as he was at that Alpine Valley concert in 1983.

Shake It, Candy Johnson!

These are the end credits from those American International 1960's Beach Bingo Bikini movies (Iforgetwhichonestheyallblurtogether) but William Asher had the good sense to feature Candy Johnson in most of them in all her go-go-glory::

Okay!

Yeah!

posted by Tom Novak, who saw the Candy Johnson Show at the 1964 Worlds Fair while he was at an impressionable age ... !

Music Video Babe -- Judy Collins

Judy Collins sings with a clear soprano voice. She had many hits in the late 60s and early 70s, selling many album collections. I particularly remember hearing the Wildflowers LP often back then.

In this video she appears on one of my all-time favorite variety shows: The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Judy still tours singing her hits.

Happy Birthday Judy Collins.

Wildflowers

Posted by Tom Ender, who has also seen both sides of many, many things.

Music Video Babe :: Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton made a very early music video with her first North American top 40 hit "Morning Train (9 To 5)." It may not have broke much new ground musically, like some other Music Video Babes already featured and others yet to come, but I still liked it way back when....

Here it is -

Happy Birthday Sheena Easton.

The World of Sheena Easton: The Singles Collection

Posted by Tom Ender, who once loved to ride on trains, especially the old Hiawatha and Zephyr trains that came through my home town, before the time of this music video.

Music Video Babe :: Nancy Wilson

Nancy Wilson made her fame with the rock group Heart. Beginning as early as the Dreamboat Annie album I liked Heart's music and enjoyed watching the band perform.

In those early days Nancy's sister Ann did most of the singing for Heart while Nancy mainly played acoustic guitar. However, she sang lead on the hit These Dreams which came out during the "big hair" era of the 80's. I consider These Dreams a fine song, but in the video Nancy has the "big hair" look. I like her look earlier (or later) better.

For those reasons I picked a different video for the main focus of this post. The video I chose has perhaps a bit more camera focus on Ann (the brunette), who sings lead, than Nancy (the ash blonde) who sings backup. However, the video opens with one of Nancy's signature acoustic introductions.

 

Plus she looks great in it, the way I liked her best.

 

Dreamboat Annie was one of Heart's "softer" numbers. I've always liked it a lot. Ann and Nancy still perform and have toured relatively recently.

Happy Birthday Nancy Wilson !

Posted by Tom Ender, who never learned how to play guitar; but that hasn't kept me from appreciating the music of those who did.

Music Video Babe -- Carole King

Carole's Tapestry album resides on my short list of favorite recordings. It was an enormous hit in an era which gave rise to many. Carole's song writing had influenced popular music for a while, but Tapestry brought her performing out and showcased it also.

Picking one song from Tapestry would be impossible for me. However, choosing from videos makes it easier. One wants to grab something unlikely to be pulled by YouTube and also which shows off the artist.

I like this video, but many more of Carole exist.

Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Carole King.

Posted by Tom Ender, who still listens to Tapestry, in fact, right now I'm listening to Amarok on Kubuntu 6.10 play it while I make this blog entry. However, videos have obvious merits.