Once upon a time, 16-year-old fanboy Richard Barone persuaded Tiny Tim—the unusual falsetto/vibrato singer, ukulele player, and a 1960s musical phenomenon—to make a record. Now that I’ve Never Seen A Straight Banana has finally surfaced after 33 years on the shelf, it sounds as strangely beautiful, naïve, and sophisticated as the combination of its two musical forces would suggest.

In the ’60s and early ’70s, the long-haired, flower-peddling Tiny Tim was ubiquitous. Guest shots on the popular comedy series Laugh-In, a hit single with “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”, and a marriage to a woman mysteriously named Miss Vicki. performed on live television to a record number of Tonight Show viewers are the highlights as I recall them. A long-haired, slightly gender bent peace-freak with a thing for old time music didn’t seem an anomaly in the culture, though his appearances occasionally lead to giggling and eye-rolling among the straights. And yet, children especially loved Tiny, and he even released some songs, For All My Little Friends, just for us kids. Prior to his 15 minutes in the late ‘60s, Tiny had enjoyed a Greenwich Village moment on the scene with Bob Dylan and recorded with the Band, all appreciators of his knowledge and devotion to music from the early part of the 20th Century—Al Jolson, Rudy Vallee, Eddie Cantor, and singers with names more obscure. But when Barone, a budding musician in his own right, caught up with Tiny Tim, he found him on the dreaded lounge circuit, home to many skilled musicians in their 40s and 50s trying to stay alive in the mid-’70s. Performing at a Travelodge outside of Tampa, the underage Barone couldn’t actually see the show, but following the set, Tim invited the young man and his friends up to his room for a private audience. By the end of the evening, the teen had talked Tim into recording an album with him.

Arriving the next night with a recorder in hand, things were going so well between musician and producer that studio time was reserved. The resulting set of songs is a combination of Tim’s beloved old time music, songs like “Baby Shoes”, “I Found You”, and “It’s Not Your Nationality (It’s Simply You)”, originally performed by inspirers like Harry Burr and Billy Murray; poignant oddities like “(Prelude) What Strange God Designed Me?,” its author unknown; and a couple of medleys, one dubbed “Granny/Carolina Mammy” devoted to the South and another featuring a vibrato “Like A Rolling Stone” sandwiched between two songs from the ’20s, performed in tribute to Rudy Vallee (including “My Time Is Your Time,” performed Dylan-style). “I feel the spirits of these singers… they captivate my body and soul,” says Tim on the tape, as he moves in and out of voicings high and low, male and female, operatic and novelty. There are also a couple of solo acoustic versions of retro-styled songs from Tim’s own catalog: “You Are Heaven Here on Earth”—inspired by Miss Snookie, a woman he judged to be most beautiful at the lesbian bar where he was working in 1963—and “The Space Ship Song”, concerning space travel, of course.

In the years following the Tiny Tim sessions, “Drawn by Tiny’s stories of New York and Greenwich Village, I moved there, got into a band, and was soon on the road myself,” Barone writes in the album’s notes. He fronted the Bongos, one of the early ’80s jingle-jangle college radio bands that formed the nucleus of the scene at Maxwell’s, the alternative club in Hoboken. He remains a performing musician and prepared this recording for reissue with some tasteful, overdubbed string, percussion, and vocal arrangements to the title song, as well as to the previously mentioned “Prelude (What Strange God Designed Me?)” Deni Bonet arranged and played the accordion that sweetly enhances the serenade, “With My Guitar”, for which Tim picks up the larger stringed instrument. Other than the few flourishes, these tracks are all Tiny, raw and unembellished.

In the years between recording and release, Tiny Tim experienced a bit of a resurgence in the ’90s, returning to radio, television, and live performance. I was simultaneously honored, shocked, and delighted to witness him at Mill Valley’s postage stamp-sized Sweetwater in the ’90s. A mutual friend kindly introduced us after the show and I’m sure I was hardly the first to tell him of how I’d wait expectantly each week, hoping he’d turn up on Laugh-In or Ed Sullivan for a reprise of “Tulips.” He demurred in the way you’d expect he would, waving away the compliments, his eyes downcast and lashes fluttering like a silent movie queen while muttering some old world expression like “You’re too kind, miss.” But despite the good front, the hennaed hair, and dusting of white face powder, Tiny wasn’t long for this world and passed over in 1996.

With its wide and wild styles, from the first Edison cylinder song “Mr. Phonograph” to his own early ’60s compositions, I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana nails Tiny, resplendently quirky and extraordinarily reverent. But credit must also go to Barone—at 16, and now—for his vision, and for seeing through what he first recognized all those years ago: Despite his nickname, that fellow Tiny Tim was actually a giant.

Watch: Tiny Tim, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” [at youtube.com]

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Ex Post Facto: Tiny Tim, I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana – Rare Moments: Vol. 1 is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

We’ve seen it so many times before that it’s almost lost its stigma, and maybe even so much that we’ve grown to expect it. Lots of bands start out with an edge and see it produced away under the guise of “artistic development.” It’s almost understandable in a way, because everyone says you need to evolve from record to record—although some of the most prolific and long-lasting bands out there hang on by doing exactly the opposite.

Had that happened to the Whigs I think my heart would have broken, since their early 2008 album Mission Control really struck a chord with me. And I know I wasn’t the only one. It wasn’t the first release by the Athens, GA trio—they self-released Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip in 2005—but it was the first to hit a wider audience. Mission Control was clean, the songs were simple and catchy, it was loud, it was dark. It would have been so easy to fuck it up with their next album; all they would have had to do was get fancy. Thankfully, they didn’t.

In the Dark opens with “Hundred/Million”, a loud, fuzzy rocker with chanted verses that turns anthemic at the chorus. It’s a strong start, proof right out front that In the Dark will be lacking none of the vitality and shit-kicking Southern energy that made Mission Control so great. The forward momentum continues unchecked from there through “Black Lotus” and “Kill Me Carolyne”, songs with combustion engines. They slow for a moment to a dirge-like, sultry march on “Someone’s Daughter” and then speed it back up for “So Lonely.”

They get a little pysch and jammy on “Dying”, breaking the song down into a fuzz pile for the last minute, which creates a good midpoint for the album, as the next track after it, “I Don’t Even Care About the One I Love” is a dive right back into the Whigs’ signature melodic, hard-driving rock.

One of the album’s singles and its title track, “In the Dark”, sits second-to-last in the track listing. The song’s chorus of “how’m I gonna see where you’re comin’ from, if you keep keeping me in the dark” is epically catchy, and the steely guitar line offsets the melody, effectively drilling it deep into your brain. The fact that there is very little else to the song is perfect. There are noisy breakdowns after the last two choruses, time to just nod and dig it while the Whigs scramble your brain.

It would appear that label ATO is totally down and supportive of the band’s gung-ho attitude, as the Whigs have been offering free tracks from the album via a multitude of online outlets, eager to get them out in the world. It’s an action-packed business plan that perfectly fits In the Dark’s dynamic vibe.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

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Album Review: The Whigs, In the Dark is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

Said track, “I Was Gone“, retains the granular lo-fi noise of their previous efforts crossed by the polished pitch of Jeremy Earl’s voice, and the press release suggests great things in store with At Echo Lake:

At Echo Lake feels like a diamond-sharp distillation of the turbulent power of their live shows, in much the same way that the Grateful Dead’s “Dark Star” single amplified and engulfed the planetary aspect of their improvised takes… At Echo Lake is more Fifth Dimension than Notorious Byrd Brothers…

Sounds like my cup of tea. Check back in May for more coverage on the record when it’s released.

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Listen to New Woods Track from Forthcoming Record is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

While I’m at it, I think I know what my niece is getting for her birthday… A Dora the Explorer backpack, designed by Slash! Awwwww, maybe she can also start bringing little six-ounce boxes of Jack Daniels in with her crustless PB&J. It’s always nap time somewhere!

Slash really is designing a Dora backpack, though, and Devo really is performing on Yo Gabba Gabba. In fact, Mark Mothersbaugh already has a long history with childrens’ shows, having composed music for about thirty of them over the years, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Rugrats. HE’s particularly down with the Yo-Gab crew, though, as he’s been starring in his own segment, “Mark’s Magic Pictures,” for over a year now. In the segment, Mothersbaugh applies his real-life skills as a visual artist to draw pictures that often come to life at the end. That’s the magic part, see. Check it out after the jump.

Devo to Perform on Yo Gabba Gabba! is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

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Afternoon Mood Elevator: Brian Wilson’s Black Cab Session is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

Either way, whether you’re Austin-bound or sharing in the excitement from afar, this little gem of the Thermals performing at the Hot Freaks day party last year is worth your attention. This is high-quality video, folks, from Portland’s pop-punk trio as they returned to the limelight last spring after a few years off. Good stuff.

Check back on Crawdaddy! daily for exclusive SXSW video footage leading up to the festival next week. Enjoy!

The Thermals, “St. Rosa and the Swallows” from 2006’s The Body, the Blood, the Machine.

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Watch Exclusive Video of the Thermals from SXSW 2009 is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

Madonna and her daughter Lourdes Leon collaborated on the line, which will be called “Material Girl” and will launch right before the back to school season, so teenage girls can convince their moms that they need those studded jeans before going back to tenth grade!

From Reuters:

As part of the direct-to-retail license agreement, Macy’s will have the opportunity to launch additional brands in the future with the joint venture, MG Icon.

MG Icon, which will be 50 percent owned by Iconix and 50 percent by Madonna and Guy Oseary, her long-time manager, has an exclusive license and services agreement with the singer to use her name for apparel, footwear and other products.

While Madonna in 2010 grates my nerves, she made some cool videos back in the day. Let’s watch one.

“Vogue”

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Madonna to Develop Clothing Line is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

Video: The Thermals, “St. Rosa and the Swallows” is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

[via Jam] Potty every day! Apparently, Kiss has recently finalized a development deal for a new children’s TV show with E1 Entertainment, where founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are to collaborate with the Canadian studio to create a comedy series. This news comes on the heels of a new album for the band, Sonic Boom, and an extensive North American tour.

“Coupling E1’s successes and ingenuity with the global force of KISS guarantees an express pass into the homes of our youngest KISS Army members with a show of superior quality,” Stanley said in a release.

News like this carries a weird duality for me. Like, in theory, a Kiss-inspired children’s show sounds at least kind of awesome, because for some reason kids love Kiss. I remember my brother having several consecutive years of Kiss birthday cakes, and they were really cool. But, in practice, as there will obviously be tie-ins for merchandising here, the band’s incessant need for more potential fans by constantly whoring out their brand just keeps deflating the love I’ve felt for the band over the years. I’ll let Simmons take it from here: “Kiss continues to be the juggernaut of licensing and merchandising, from Kiss M&M’s to Kiss Dr. Pepper. Kiss is a band, but also the only music brand.”

I don’t know about the “only” music brand, but they are certainly the most unapologetic about it. I don’t think I’ll ever know if I can blame them or not. Even John Lennon was fine with selling out, and if he can do it, well, we should all be able to. But hey, God gave rock ‘n’ roll to you, and ain’t nothing in life for free. At the end of the day, I’ll probably watch the shit out of this show.

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KISS Plan Children’s Television Show is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.

This song is the best, because it best displays Grandaddy’s aptness for lyrics that straddle the line between a sort of innocent naiveness and absolute cynicism, and the sense of isolation and calmness in the face of a modern high-tech world that comes through in “Collective Dreamwish of Upperclase Elegance” is nothing short of brilliant on an austere and balmy conceptual album full of high points. It’s also very indicative of the that late ’90s lo-fi vibe via vintage equipment and an emotionless vocal manner. So good!

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Best Song Ever Wednesday: Grandaddy, “Collective Dreamwish of Upperclass Elegance” is a post from Crawdaddy! - The Magazine of Rock.