HARVEST MOON BALL PT.1

[Mike Pell]

This is going to be fun.
It is that time of year for a Harvest Moon Ball.
For those nitpickers out there, I know that the Harvest Moon appeared in September as it almost always does, although there are those rare times it happens in October.
But Harvest Moon Balls are traditionally held in October!
Before the invention of electric lights (in danger of extinction in this country?), for generations farmers knew that full moon as the Harvest Moon because it provided extra light after sunset enabling them to continue their harvesting.
To begin this episode, I have picked the most appropriate and best song anyone could, a song that I cannot hear without thinking of a dear, unforgettable, missed girlfriend.
See if you agree.
Followed by a crop of songs I have proudly harvested for our Ball.
And for this chapter at least, this is no come-as-you-are affair, lol!
You are cordially invited to attend the Rockollections Harvest Moon Ball.
Let's Dance!

Here's the Formal link that will bring you and your partner by carriage, to WLSO.FM:

http://wlso.fm/wordpress/archives/1841


Mike

[Mike Pell]

Dear Scott,
Sorry, this one got lost.
That WAS a great start, if I say so myself, lol!
Glad I provided a flashback to Dancing in the Moonlight.
I think it's great that you have actually attended Harvest Moon Balls.
Must be cool to party in a barn, and I know about the drunken brawls...I am Irish, lol!
But the Wild West sounds like true fun.
Like you, I never got too much into Bowie, but oddly I find I use him a lot.
I never did play Mellencamp, did I?
And Farm Aid never was a factor.
I gotta keep you off-balance, lol!
Thanks for writing,
Mike

[Scott]

YES! Harvest Moon right off the bat, what a great tune, and instant classic! I cant believe its been 20 years since Harvest Moon came out, wow.... And what cool flashback to Dancing in the Moonlight, I havent heard that for years!

By the way, I m an Idaho native (now living in NC) but I know the potatoe harvest is a huge deal back there and the harvest moon dances are very prominent. In my hometown there are several real life barns that transform in to dance halls, I remember great times were had and few drunken brawls too... It is the Wild West after all... hahahaha...

Im not much of a David Bowie fan, and I really dont know why, but Lets Dance is a good tune!

For Part II, Im thinking theres got to be something from Mellencamp, right? I think my association to the barn dances and potatoes harvests, is giving me a Farm Aid image... hmmm, I could be wrong.... we'll see...

[Mike Pell]

Dear Scott,
Now I would have said damn, but I am a New York street guy, lol!
Probably would have said worse.
As Meat Loaf sang, Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad- but frankly you did TERRIFIC!
And it is not over yet, so that 3rd one...
See I told ya, as you guys keep listening and get to know me, you will begin to think like me- and I couldn't be happier about that, lol!
You will frequently correctly anticipate what I am going to play next.
And my job will be to throw curveballs at you to keep you from digging in, lol!
Fun for all of us with a different way of playing music.
By the time you read this, Part Two will be here.
Thanks for listening, writing, and getting in your punches,
Mike

[Scott]

Dang, I wanted to guess at afew tunes before I listened... Heres what came to mind when I read Mikes post...

Harvets Moon - Neil Young
Lets Dance - David Bowie
Dance WIth Me - Orleans...

Looks like I got beat to the punch on 2 out of 3... I will listen in the am and check back in.

[Mike Pell]

Dear RJ,
Damn I hate that when it happens to me!
Nice pick on the first song, but I knew you might.
And that song has a deeper meaning to me because the girlfriend I mentioned died Valentine's Day 2007.
Man I haven't played Into The Mystic in a long time, great tune..
As I get older, I like Van Morrison more and more- the guy takes us along as he ages.
Those first 3 songs came to me right away, knew the order I would play them too.
The song by King Harvest had to be in there- but the Band's King Harvest (Has Surely Come) gave me some pause, thought most folks might not know it, but I went with it anyway.
The rockingest, most fun one for me was the Olympics- I really do dance when I hear that, lol!
I haven't ever played it enough to get stale.
That's your Bowie favorite?
I picked it because it had the sophistication and almost formality to perfectly go with the old Fred Astaire classic.
No, no AC/DC- I like them, but I already know I will have songs left over.
I usually think of every song I can easily think of about a Theme, as I am getting them I come across other CD's & albums and think of others, and finally when I play them they spur my mind to yet more songs.
The hardest part is leaving songs out!
Your wondering songs...well one is on the button, another has the same title but it's not by your group, and the rest I confess I didn't think of.
But to tell you the truth, since I haven't done the 2nd show yet, I am not sure what I will put on it, lol!
Thanks for liking the show, and the suggestions,
Mike

[RJhog (Admin)]

Wow, I just typed out my comment, and like an idiot, navigated away from the page and lost it. Arghhhhh!!!

I figured correctly on the first song, but I wasn't exactly sure which direction you were headed. I've got it now though. And that first song is a beauty.

Song number 2 is in a tie with another song (Into The Mystic) for my favorite song by that dude. He does have quite a few gems other than these two.

I'm not a dancer, but If I were, I'd wanna dance when song number 3 comes on (by King Harvest). It has great energy and has such a positive feel. I've always enjoyed it.

And I really like the final track, my favorite by Bowie.

I wasn't sure whether or not to include the song titles here because I don't want to ruin it for anyone else planning on listening. Hopefully it's fresh enough for you to know which songs I'm referring to.

And now, I'd like to list a few "I wonder if he'll play that"s...

I wonder if he'll play:

Dance The Night Away (Van Halen)
The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats)
Dance With Me (Orleans)
Dancing The Night Away (an older country song by The Oak Ridge Boys)

and finally, based on the Harvest BALL theme:

Big Balls by AC/DC

Cool show Mike...looking forward to part 2.