Harvey's 11: 1970's TV Variety Show Mix

I had weird experiences during the production of my mix. Lots of technical difficulties. Two computers broke. I accidentally tried to burn music onto DVD-R's. The endlessly unflappable Meg Martin tried to help and wound up hitting me in the back of the neck with a garden rake. And last minute program changes and brain-farts rendered the playlist on the tastefully designed sleeve inaccurate.

However, despite all these obstacles and a completely unrelated battle with 24-hour psoriasis ... I finished my disc and circulated it to almost everyone on time. So for that I'm giving myself a long standing "o" and I am not looking askance at the other members of the club who just, whups, decided to punt, punters.

Anyway, the theme here is 1970s variety shows, home of baby blue backgrounds, lots of light bulbs, long microphones, sparkly instruments and, whenever possible, 25 musicians on a paper mache stage....

"Wild and Free" is by Curtis Mayfield and is an excellent kick-off song for a mix CD. I credit myself for thinking of doing it.

"Fallin' in Love" is by Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, who recorded for Playboy Records and who kept their name even after Reynolds left the ground, although they later became Hamilton, Joe Frank and Dennison. I am sad that we now live in a world where a group like that with a name like that could never even remotely have a pair of hit songs.


"Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town)" is by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition and I'm fascinated by the flow of the line, "It wasn't me that started that whole crazy Asian war."

"Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" is by The Looking Glass and maybe it's a little overplayed, maybe it's a tune that could push this mix too far in the K-Tel direction, but it's smooth as velour warmed by the sun.

"It Never Rains in Southern California" is by Albert Hammond, who is the father of Albert Hammond, Jr., who plays guitar for the Strokes. That and this song are good contributions to the world. Unfortuantely, he also wrote "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" for Starship (as seen in the motion picture "Mannequin") and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before." Despite those last two achievements, he has not yet been dragged by his ankles behind a car, but there's still time.

"Beggin'" is by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. You should never beg, especially when love is involved. Unless you establish a safety word first.


"Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad" is by Tammy Wynette and is a masterpiece of the articulation of a romantic strategy.


"Have You Seen Her?" is by the Chi-Lites and features one of the greatest openings of all time. Seriously, stick your earbuds in, crank up the volume and tell me that's not a swell sound -- the fuzztone guitar, the choral harmonies, the saggy drums, the precise clavinet. Even the talkin' blues has just enough truth and pathos to save it from corniess. Even M.C. Hammer couldn't fuck it all up.

"Windows of the World" is by Dionne Warwick and it came this close to getting booted off the mix in favor of another Warwick/Burt Bacharach collaboration, "Always Something There to Remind Me," later given a second life when remade in the 80s by Naked Eyes. "Always Something..." is more upbeat and less schmaltzy, but it doesn't have one crucial element that "Windows" does and that is: That plucked stringed instrument (is it a harp?) that makes the whole thing worthwhile.

"Eastbound and Down" is by Jerry Reed and was the theme song for "Smokey and the Bandit."

"Reflections of My Life" is by The Marmalade and is one of the greatest songs ever made.

"Never Can Say Goodbye" is by The Jackson Five, but here it's by Isaac Hayes from his "Black Moses" album. It was originally to be the closing number but yesterday I was listening to XM while shaving and heard the Marshall Tucker.

"This Ol' Cowboy" is by The Marshall Tucker Band and I heard it for the first time in years on XM Radio on Tuesday and decided it had to go on the mix. Great summertime jam/barbecue soundtrack/music for a morning pontoon cruise, even if the narrator does go on a little too long. I don't think Marshall's primary kiss off about being used to sleeping alone quite packs the punch he intends.

Apologies to the songs that didn't make the final cut: "Rosalinda's Eyes," by Billy Joel; "Everybody is a Star" by Sly and the Family Stone; "Suavaceto" by Malo; something obscure by Steely Dan; something obscurer by Elton John; "When You're Hot, You're Hot," by Jerry Reed; et al.