Songs From Christmas Past

It is a cliche to say that it does not seem like Christmas anymore. There is not much of a season of new Christmas music offerings from the well known performers, and most new Christmas music releases are deligated to the Christian music segment of the commercial recording business. Thanks to misunderstood and misdirected ( in my opinion ) leftist societal decisions about separation of church and state, we have become mostly a secular and atheistic society, forgetting our Judeo-Christian origins. Kruschev would be proud. Holiday music just does not sell to the general public, since what is left of Christmas observance is mostly commercial, and most ads prefer to say "Holiday Season" or some such phrase. I am not a Christian, but I really miss the general feeling of peace and goodwill that open public Christmas celebrations once conveyed.

There was a time when rock groups issued new holiday music every year. And some of them were hits. Here are a few that I remember, some well known, some not so well known ...

Darlene Love - "Christmas ( Baby Please Come Home )"


The Pretenders - "2000 miles"


Kinks - "Father Christmas"


Beach Boys - "Little Saint Nick"


Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas"

The Cadillac Songbook

Jimmy Limo - "Cadillac Mama"

Exclusive! New original tune by Jimmy Limo just released to the public today!

Jimmy goes into technical details about his setup in his YouTube comment below:

Recorded "LIVE" at Skyline Casino in Henderson NV (Las Vegas) November 2010. Filmed with Kodak Zi8 pocket camcorder at 720p 60fps, I ran a direct line from my mixer into the mic input on the Zi8. ATTN MUSICIANS- GIVES YOU A GREAT "LIVE" RECORDING SOUND ! All backup tracks recorded by Jimmy. Playing 2001 Fender Teal Sparkle USA Stratocaster (with Joe Barden pickups) thru Yamaha DG Stomp pedal and into Bose L1 PAS sound system. Way cool Shure Super 55 "Elvis" mic chrome plated and internally lit with red and blue LED's by Chris at www.mutantmics.com . For my videos, gig calendar, songlists and bio go to www.jimmylimo.net.

Also, for the song lyrics view the video at YouTube.

Jimmy created a faux two camcorder shot by recording over two days. (Editor's Note: It's a good thing he did not change his shirt! --- just kidding, Jimmy :)

Jimmy Limo sings and plays guitar every Tuesday & Wednesday night, 6:00pm - 10:00pm, at the Skyline Casino, Henderson, NV:

Skyline Restaurant & Casino
1741 N. Boulder Hwy.
Henderson, NV
Phone: 702-565-9116

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Jimmy Limo - "Cadillac Mama"

Other "Honorably Mentioned" Cadillac Tunes

Jerry Lee Lewis - "Pink Cadillac"


Aretha Franklin - "Freeway Of Love"


Chuck Berry - "Mabelline"

Tunes From The Dark Side

Leonard Cohen - "The Future"

Don't say that Leonard Cohen did not warn you :)

As an amateur student of comparative religion, I think that what we call evil is a manifestation of the good, not equal to the good ( as in Zoroastrianism ) but a shadow left when the light of good is obstructed.

Music has its dark moods, and rock has its share of "evil" themes. In the fifties, some songs were banned from airplay because of their suggestive lyrics; many of these lyrics are tame by today's standards. I remember when I was much younger, during the British invasion, the Beatles were the clean cut good boys, and the Stones projected themselves as the bad boys of rock 'n' roll ( the song "Sympathy For The Devil" being their ultimate homage to the Prince Of Darkness himself ). The Kinks, The Animals, The Zombies, etc., were somewhere in the middle spectrum of good vs.evil, depending upon the themes of their songs.

In the later decades, many songs were written to project a darker mood, and although I consider myself to be one of the "good guys", there is an interesting appeal that these songs project to which I admit I am sometimes attracted; some religions would call this temptation, but I call it "the shadow". I remember my roommate from college said that when he died he wanted to go to Hell, because that's where all the cool parties would be:) I think much of that appeal for me is a hiatus from the "sunshine and flowers" love songs that have dominated the pop music charts. Some of the most interesting lyrics come from rock artists who introspectively describe the dark forces of addiction that they have experienced, hopefully before they arrived at some kind of graceful recovery, or not...

The few songs I have included here are obviously not conclusive ( for example, a dark tune by "The Doors" is strangely absent ) but only indicative of what I am trying to convey by "dark" --- but evil ( like porn ;) is hard to describe; you know it is when you hear ( see ) it...

Hey, lighten up, I'm just trying to have some fun here ! :)

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Songs From The Underground

I am writing this as a kind of postscript about the songs I selected. I usually select the first songs that pop into my head, after clearing my head as if one were preparing for a Remote Viewing session ( which I do not actually know how to do ). Looking at the songs I selected, I think I chose Santana's "Black Magic Woman" because Santana sounds like Satan, and of course the title sounds "evil". Similarly, Sade's name ( which is not the singer's birth name and is actually pronounced Shah-DAY :)probably reminded me of Saddam Hussein or sadism, and one of the lyrics of the song is "love for sale" a possible reference to pimping or human trafficking. Then the word "underground" possibly triggered the choice of a few Velvet Underground tunes. Coincidentally, the movie "Natural Born Killers", one of the most "evil" films I have ever seen, had used a couple of these songs in their soundtrack. The human mind's memory is associative, and we often do not understand the infinite links that produce what we call memory. These songs and many more appeal to the base chakra and the dark side of the mind, the aforementioned "shadow".

Cowboy Junkies - "Sweet Jane"


Lou Reed - "A Walk On The Wild Side"


Sade - "Smooth Operator"


Santana - "Black Magic Woman" ( w/ lyrics)

Jimmy Limo ---The Big Picture

Jimmy sings and plays guitar every Tuesday & Wednesday night, 6:00pm - 10:00pm, at the Skyline Casino, Henderson, NV:

Skyline Restaurant & Casino
1741 N. Boulder Hwy.
Henderson, NV
Phone: 702-565-9116

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Jimmy Limo is Las Vegas' premier one-man show. Jimmy records his own backup tracks, enhances his live performances with real time vocal harmonizing, and produces his own promotional videos. All in a day's work for Jimmy...

Some of his YouTube videos allow HD ( 720p ) and I experimented with presenting the largest picture frame that the space on this blog would allow, keeping the same aspect ratio. If a higher pixel setting is allowed, you can select it using the control button below the video panel. You also have the option to view the videos fullscreen.

I find that even on my high speed internet connection, the higher resolutions will break up and even freeze sometimes, probably because I have an older computer with a slower processor, or perhaps the traffic on my cable link is shared with my neighbors here where I live. ( Gee, I love techy talk, even when I don't know what the hell I am talking about :)

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Click HERE for Jimmy's Gig Schedule.

For bookings email- jimmylimo1@yahoo.com .

JIMMY's websites - http://jimmylimo.net/ & http://jimmylimo.com ...

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The Following Newer Video Allows HD (High Definition)

1- Na Pali (original song) 2- Sleepwalk (Santo and Johnny) 3- Endless Summer (The Sandals) 4- Samba Pa Ti (Santana) 5- Do For Love (Bobby Caldwell) 6- Sukiyaki (Kyu Sakamoto) All backup tracks recorded by Jimmy Limo.

JIMMY LIMO - Smooth & Mellow Guitar - 720p HD

These Older Videos Do Not Allow HD

Jimmy Limo - Variety Demo


Jimmy Limo Guitar - Oldies Rock


Jimmy Limo - Surf Guitar

My Favorite Decade For Pop Rock Songs Is The Eighties

When I look over a list of 80's songs ( for example, the AOL's Top 500 ) I have about a 95% "familiarity" rate, meaning if I read  the title of a song, I can hear it playing in my head. This was mostly because my workplace in the eighties had a radio station playing contemporary rock all day through the PA system, so it was hard to miss a new tune. Also I remember that in the nineties I would often play the eighties stations. Even today on cable or satellite radio, when not listening to talk radio, I will gravitate towards the eighties channels.

I am not, nor have I ever been, a musicologist; but when I think of eighties rock I think "big sound". Loud and lyrical. Big percussion, loud guitars, turn up the volume...

If any tune ( in my mind, anyway ) heralded the "big sound" of the eighties it is the supergroup Asia's "Heat Of The Moment".. Just take the group Journey's best, and ratch it up a few notches ( or turn it up a few decibels or whatever) for that big ( and loud ) sound --- that's the eighties ( to me, anyway ). This followed by my actual two rock favorites of the decade, Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" and Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" ... Enjoy, and I know you have your own favorites !

Asia - "Heat Of The Moment" - 1982

Bon Jovi - "Livin' On A Prayer" - 1986

Guns N' Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine" - 1987

Three Tunes Etched On My Early Adolescent Memory

The jukebox of my mind, or some permanent grooves on my cerebral cortex, have these songs firmly etched --- they were written long ago when I was a somewhat perplexed boy entering adolescence...

"Go Away Little Girl" -- Steve Lawrence --1962

Song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

"Sealed With A Kiss" -- Bryan Williams -- 1962

Song written by Peter Udell and Gary Geld.

"Can't Get Used To Losing You" -- Andy Williams -- 1963

Song written by Jerome "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman.

They Started Out As Solo Acts ( 50's and early 60's )

I can only think of two or three examples tonight, but there must be dozens of solo acts who took on one or more people to create a new act. So this blog post will remain "open ended" and I will add examples as I think of them. The songs they sang as soloists were usually memorable minor hits.

Steve Lawrence Minus Gormé

"Pretty Blue Eyes" - 1959

Tony Orlando Before "Dawn" ( I say this somewhat tongue in cheek !)

"Bless You" - 1961


"Halfway To Paradise" -1961


This should be easier, but I am stumped. Most acts break up and then individuals go solo. I think the later sixties, seventies and eighties would be easier, because of the phenomenon known as the "super group".

The following is from the wikipedia article "super group":

"Some examples of the most well-known supergroups include: 1960s groups Cream, Blind Faith, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 1970s groups Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Humble Pie, Cactus, Toto and Bad Company; the 1980s & 1990s groups Band Aid, USA for Africa, The Firm, Traveling Wilburys, Asia, Damn Yankees, Power Station, and The Highwaymen..."

Happiness Is An Earphone Playing In My Ear All Night

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Sometimes late at night when all is quiet in my semi-comotose retirement neighborhood,

the softly harsh sound of fuzztone seems to waff through the air, or more likely my imagination,

and I'm hearing a 6 transistor radio stuck on 1959,

and the DJ is not the Wolfman but Moondog (Alan Freed)

and he's counting his first payola during commercial breaks for Toni hair coloring and Brylcreem 

 
A little dab will do ya.... Dobee dobee do !

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Jimmy Limo's Response --- "AH, YES.... 1959..."

Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Newsletter - 2010 November – Celebrating Sinatra

Frank Sinatra & Steve Wynn, two men who demand respect ( baby! )

To celebrate and honor Frank Sinatra's 95th birthday on December 12, Wynn Las Vegas will premiere performances of SINATRA Dance With Me in the Encore Theater on December 11, 2010.

"We will present an extraordinary evening of Frank Sinatra—his words and music set to incredible movement by Twyla Tharp. This mesmerizing treatment of the man and his music moves with an intense, electrifying fascination," said Steve Wynn.

Wynn Las Vegas & Encore Newsletter - 2010 November – Celebrating Sinatra

"Fly Me To The Moon"

"My Way"

"That's Life"

Best Horror Movie & Sci-Fi Film Themes Throughout The Decades !

I am a perennial insomniac and some nights are worse than others. Whenever I can't sleep, I create a challenge in my mind. I count tunes instead of sheep...

Tonight's challenge was to list at least five theme songs from the sci-fi horror film genre and try to cover all the decades starting with the fifties. If I do not succeed, it might be because I fell asleep while composing this blog entry, and my wife kindly hit the "Publish" button for me...

The Fifties

Best horror films ever made on a low budget, but it did not matter: I still covered my eyes in the back of my dad's Oldsmobile at the drive-in and could never get to sleep that night ( an early premonition of my sleep problems ? )

"The Blob" - 1958 opening tune

"War Of The Worlds" -Classic Film Theme - 1953

The Sixties

The "Go-Go" Years were better produced and showed much improvement in the use of special effects :)

"2001: A Space Odyssey"

1968 Opening Theme ("Also Sprach Zarathustra")

The Seventies

Star Wars Theme Song By John Williams - 1977

The Eighties

E.T. ( The Extra-terrestrial ) Theme Song By (again) John Williams - 1982

Sorry, I'm starting to get really sleepy ...

The Nineties

Jurassic Park theme song - John Williams ( again ?? ) - 1993

I can hardly keep my eyes open ! ...




GOODNIGHT, much too sleepy to go on, and my apologies to all "The Matrix" and "Star Trek" etc.,fans, zzzzzz...

The "Event Horizon" Of My Musical Memories

My mother did not have any musical talent that she had the opportunity to develop, but she loved to sing to herself, and as far as I was concerned, she sang like the fifth Lennon Sister...  And as a baby in the late forties, I listened. I listened to the sound of my mother's singing as she rocked me to sleep, as she did the housework, and as she sang along with that huge wooden tube radio with that single huge speaker (and all those curious knobs) that was in the corner of our living room, sitting in a place where the TV would eventually be. That radio's vibrations is what I  "heard" as I crawled along on the floor. This was when I was pre-verbal, but I do remember. I remember hearing my mother's voice singing along with that big old radio, and I remember her voice clearly; if I direct my attention, I can still hear it in my head. Who knows, but I might have heard that same voice while floating in the womb. To this day, music from the late forties sounds strangely familiar to me. "Milkman's Matinee" ( http://tinyurl.com/2vbcs98 ) was a sound, Benny Goodman's music was just another sound, but I heard them and "remembered" them. I think I got the habit of keeping the radio on all night from my mom, but I'm not sure I can prove this :)

So as I grew up, I would also sing to myself. When I was eight years old, I remember a next-door  neighbor asked me to give a recital of the song he overheard me singing while in the bathtub with the bathroom window wide open. I was singing "The Wayward Wind", a song by Gogi Grant ( http://tinyurl.com/6uckcx ). I remember I was embarrassed to discover that I had an audience. I just blushed and ran away.

So music was always a comfort to me in the same way it was to my mom. I learned to sing along with the radios which strangely became smaller and smaller as I grew older. I think my voice became smaller too; as I grew older I seemed to listen to music more than sing along, perhaps because I was afraid that someone might overhear me and ask me to stop singing. Because now my voice was changing,  and my singing was not so wonderful anymore (like Michael Jackson with a bad sore throat). (Just ask anybody who attended my Bar Mitzvah, where I learned to sing a Torah portion at age 13.)

Like my mom, I did not develop any latent musical talents: did not join the choir or learn to play an instrument. But I always listened, and I have never stopped appreciating all the wonderful varieties of music. All kinds of music, including the natural music of nature, the music of the spheres, and the vibration of this Grand Universe --- and especially my own inner voice...