The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

We miss our Misty very much but we wanted to give a kitty a home for Christmas and find a new friend for Phurbee so we went to the SPCA 2weeks ago and got picked by Charlie. He's 5 years old and a sweety ... plus he's got very long legs, is kind of colt-ish because of it and he also likes to bark with happiness. He's already part of the family and it already feels like he's always been here :-) Welcome home, Charlie!

On the other hand, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was a 1982 film adaptation of the musical of the same. The film starred Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds and also featured Noah Beery, Jr., Jim Nabors, Charles Durning and Dom DeLuise. Durning was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Texas governor. In terms of box-office, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas was the most successful movie-musical of the 1980s. The film soundtrack was released along with the film in July 1982. In addition to the score of Carol Hall songs that had also appeared on the stage soundtrack, the film soundtrack included two Dolly Parton compositions: "Sneakin' Around", which she performed as a duet with costar Burt Reynolds and a reworking of her 1974 classic "I Will Always Love You", the latter of which topped the U.S. country charts in September 1982.   Since it is almost Christmas a little Hard Candy Christmas is in order.
homercat vinyl.

Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton
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Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School

It has always been my intention here to not only put up a couple songs from an album, but also to encourage folks to track down a hard copy, be it cd or vinyl (preferably vinyl), as the original always sounds way better than these compressed mp3's. I find mp3's too tinny sounding on the high end and thuddy and muddled on the lows. As far as portability and file size goes an mp3 can't be beat, it's the ultimate for taking your music anywhere, but the sound quality leaves much to be desired. A lot of the stuff I put up here is rareish or out of print, mostly leaving the new releases alone.

A week or so ago I heard on the news that as of the end of next year the record industry will no longer manufacture cd's because they will be going to a strictly digital download route for all music, thus rendering all music "out of Print". It wasn't specified whether this was only major label releases or the entire industry or if it's a gradual phasing out. Or did my local radio station report this as news when it may only be a myth? As an audiophile this bugs me tremendously, personally I don't pay money for a tinny, compressed version of a song. I might consider it if it was lossless, yet those files can be quite large. Then there's the, can you hold it in your hand and read the liner notes factor, which I always do. My vinyl and cd collection is huge and I don't apologize for that. I know some of the arguments for digital including the carbon footprints vinyl and cd leave. I rarely buy anything on cd anymore because if a release is available on vinyl I purchase it. So I could be said to be contributing to the cd's demise. If nothing new is ever printed on vinyl or cd, I guess I'll be spending more time in the used record stores as there is a ton of vinyl out there at pretty cheap prices and we can continue to watch music sales decline. Nothing better than a trip to the record store and flipping through the albums and stumbling upon a treasure that you've been looking for. I also wouldn't want to risk my entire music collection on a hard drive that could crash or an mp3 player that might accidently fall in a toilet or a sink full of water. Anyways would be interested to hear other people's take on this news.

Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School was Warren Zevon's 4th album released in 1980. The term Dancing School in the title is a euphemism for a brothel. This album was cut as Zevon was struggling to stay clean and sober after the success of his previous album Excitable Boy. Because of this the album has a strength of focus that was absent on that album. The album's rockers hit harder and cut deeper than any of his previous work, and on Wild Age Zevon addresses his own failings and expresses his need for a greater maturity in his life. Along for the ride are a zillion guest artists such as Joe Walsh, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey just to name a few. Zevon showed again that the quality of his songwriting was no fluke. homercat vinyl.

A Certain Girl
Jeannie Needs a Shooter
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From the Hip

Josie Cotton is a classic example of an artist whose entire career is overshadowed by one song. A hit from her first album, Convertible Music, was the in-dubious-taste "Johnny Are You Queer?," which was such a controversial song at the time of its 1982 release that the rest of her fantastic debut album album was overlooked in the brouhaha. Josie's music invokes the whole California girly pop scene of the early '80s.

Her second album came out in 1984 and is called From the Hip. This album has its standouts -- "School Is In," "Way Out West," and "Jimmy Loves Maryann," which incite new wave sock hops and hip shaking. Despite having the likes of Lindsey Buckingham as part of her back up band, the second album couldn't quite match her debut as it was almost flawless. Having said that the album is very good and I love to listen to it. I don't have her first album on vinyl so this gets played a lot. You can get her first two albums on 1 cd from amazon, but that doesn't help me cause I'm a vinyl nut.


School Is In
Jimmy Loves Mary Ann
Buy Convertible Music: From the Hip


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How Bizarre

"How Bizarre" is a 1996 album by New Zealand group, OMC. It was first done under the huh! recording label, issued by PolyGram New Zealand, and manufactured and marketed by Mercury Records in the United States. The title track was very successful worldwide which has given this group it's status as a one hit wonder.

OMC is from Otara, Auckland, New Zealand. Originally the Otara Millionaires Club, the full name of the band is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Otara's status as one of the poorest suburbs of Auckland.

This album may not be the greatest album of all time but the single, How Bizarre, definitely plants an ear worm in your head when you hear it.  When I first heard the song back in 96, I couldn't get the darn thing out of my head for days.  Today I was reminded of the power of this piece of ear candy when it came on the radio and then I proceeded to hum the ditty for  the rest of the day.  Once again I couldn't get it out of my head.  Now I return the favor and get it buzzing inside my reader's heads.

How Bizarre
Right On
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Road Fever

First off I want to thank everyone for their comments about our little Misty, we appreciated it very much and has helped with our healing. Secondly, some of you must have thought that the old homercat has finally hung it up because of the long hiatus. October was just a rough month here and now am hoping to get back on track on a semi regular basis. So again I say thanks to all of you.

The seventh album by the Downchild Blues Band came out in 1980 and is called Road Fever. Founder Donnie Walsh has been called the 'father of Canadian blues' and with good reason. He is a blues pioneer on the Canadian scene. It was Walsh who paid the highest dues so that later Canadian blues acts, such as the Jeff Healey Band, the Colin James Band, the Powder Blues, Sue Foley, The Sidemen and The Highliners could also enjoy their success. According to Walsh, more than 120 musicians have been associated with Downchild since its 1969 founding. The band has never lost its focus on blues music. Two years after the release of this album the band suffered a major setback with the untimely death of keyboard player Jane Vasey, who succumbed to leukemia at the age of thirty two. Donnie Walsh, who was living with Vasey at the time, took a period of time off to reflect on his future and that of the band. Mr. Downchild couldn't be kept down too long though, by the end of the year the band was back.

TV Mama
Try To Fall in Love With Me
Buy Road Fever


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Goodbye Baby Bear ...

October was an extremely difficult month for the Homercat household, culminating on October 31st when, after a long struggle with progressively worse illnesses, we had to bid goodbye to our little grey-striped Misty-cat. She was the strongest, sweetest little kitty in the world and we will miss her so very, very much. She was born in Ottawa, Canada on July 1, 1995 (or thereabouts), being tossed away like garbage and left to die, we never knew her actual birthdate, but she lived through that experience (after being rescued by a vet who found her on the side of the road), and has graced our lives ever since. She was diagnosed with diabetes almost 4 years ago and lived through her twice daily injections with loving good humour, never once complaining or running and hiding to get away from it. If we could have half her courage, half her heart and half her love, we will have lived a very good life indeed. Rest In Peace our little baby, and we hope you have a great hereafter in Heaven chasing butterflies and waxing fat and sassy. All our love forever, your Mom and Dad.

Misty Neufeld-Gordley

~July 1, 1995 - October 31, 2011~

CURTAINS

I used to know this old scarecrow
She was my song, my joy and sorrow
Cast alone between the furrows
Of a field no longer sown by anyone

I held a dandelion
That said the time had come
To leave upon the wind
Not to return
When summer burned the earth again

Cultivate the freshest flower
This garden ever grew
Beneath these branches
I once wrote such childish words for you

But that's okay
There's treasure children always seek to find
And just like us
You must have had
A once upon a time

We send you a million kisses and hugs, and know we will miss you. Always.

Souvenir: 1989—1998

The Rankin Family is a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four SOCAN Awards, three Canadian Country Music Awards and two Big Country Music Awards. Out of the 12 Rankin siblings, Jimmy, John Morris, Cookie, Raylene and Heather released their own independent cassettes The Rankin Family (1989) and Fare Thee Well Love (1990), featuring original songs and a combination of traditional jigs, reels and Celtic folk songs. After five albums they went their separate ways to pursue their own projects. This was in 1999 and less than a year later, John Morris Rankin was killed in a car accident in Cape Breton. They have since reunited for a couple of new albums.

Souvenir: 1989—1998 is a 2 disc greatest hits compilation that came out in 2003. It is a great overview of the decade when the Rankin Family rose to prominence in the Canadian pop/folk scene and opened a floodgate of likeminded musicians who brought Celtic influences into the contemporary scene. It is evenly focused on their entire career, and also serves as a memorial to the late John Morris Rankin (1959-2000). Mrs. homercat introduced me to The Rankins and I love them. Just one listen to You Feel the Same Way Too, Borders and Time or The Mull River Shuffle and you'll be hooked too. The family is blessed with wonderful voices, particularly the women. The harmony is dense and absolutely pure. The voices are clear and crisp, the lyrics are full of meaning, and the music is just fantastic. The men in the group are excellent instrumentalists and the late John Rankin's fiddle playing is superb in an authentic Gaelic style. Truly one of Canada's best kept secrets.

Borders and Time
You Feel the Same Way Too



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