MELLENCAMPCOUGARJOHN PT.4 END

[Mike Pell]

Alright, putting a cap on the Mellencamp Chronicles.
We are at the point where John gets divorced (something I have never officially done!).
And discover that he never drank or took drugs, but from what I hear and see about divorces he must have been tempted!
He released a somber LP as a result, Big Daddy.
His next album went back to the basics, Dance Naked- an album that was only 29 minutes long.
While on tour, he had a heart attack and didn’t know it.
He performed from Aug.8 to Sept.2 before seeing a doctor, sensibly quitting the tour after that.
He had been smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day, so he drastically cut down and changed his diet.
Got another song by him I had forgotten about, a real good one that namedrops John Lennon.
Then his version of a Van Morrison song, dueting with someone whose name I wouldn’t dare try to write.
It was ballsy enough of me to pronounce it, if I did so correctly- and it is just as hard to spell.
I will close this whole thing out with a song helping me be polite, as my parents tried to teach me.
Succeeding somewhat…lol!

 

Here's the link to go Mellencamping, at WLSO.FM:

 

http://wlso.fm/wordpress/archives/1914

 

Mike

[Mike Pell]

Hey Mike, no kidding?

Hell, I wanted to be the only one with a perfect attendance record, and even my own comments are optional, lol!
Mike

 

[Michael J. Andrade]

Not true Mike - I'm listening to all your shows - Just don't have time to reply !!!   Time is limited on the Comp. Work is sucking the life out of me.  

[Mike Pell]

RJ, l'll go with that.

I like surprises too, lol!

I'm just trying to figure out the order to present these next shows, although one has a definite date.

And I am still gathering songs.

Mike

[Mike Pell]

That's ok, Niels.

The ONLY one who has listened to ALL my shows is ME, LOL!
It's part of my quality control!
Mike

[RJhog (Admin)]

I like surprise...

[Niels (Mod)]

Hey, Mike. I'm not listening ALL the time, even though I wish I could, but when I've got the time, it sure is a pleassure.

[Mike Pell]

RJ,

Tell Niels you like Pop Singer too, lol!

I know what you mean, music is funny, a song you hear seems mediocre, then one day your ears perk up and you think it's pretty damn good.

Maybe it's US humans that are the funny ones, not the music, lol!

I think the 3rd song was Key West Intermezzo, and I love that one.

Yes, he does a nice job on Van Morrison's Wild Night, and I agree that time has been good to it.

I didn't say so, but it was another I too had forgotten about- it is so much fun going through those old albums and CD's and re-discovering songs.

Happy to have done so for you!

I know Thank You is not a world beater, but it seemed like a nice way to end the series.

Not working on Kiss but 3 other projects.

Do you want to know, or be surprised as they show up, lol?
As always I enjoy your comments, thanks,

Mike

[Mike Pell]

Hey Niels, I didn't know you were listening.

You startled me, lol!

Pop Singer was the song I knew best from that album, so I went with that one.

All his later albums are more erratic than the early ones.

But that is true for the majority of artists.

They have a lifetime before their first album, all those creative juices flowing, and then it becomes a job.

For some, the debut album is the best they ever do, and downhill from there.

Others, like the Beatles, Who, etc. continue to grow...and then go downhill.

Mellencamp did grow, but like all of them he is running out of gas.

It's all part of life! 

More than just "style", it all grows stale except for the really great ones.

Thanks for the thoughts and writing them,

Mike

[RJhog (Admin)]

Hey Mike,

 

This is the period from Mellancamp that I'm not particularly familiar with.  You started off with Pop Singer, which I had totally forgotten about.  That's a very catch song, and I like it now more than I seem to remember liking it when it was released.  It's funny how that happens sometimes.

 

The second song, Again Tonight, was somewhat familiar, but I'm not sure.  I did like this one however. 

 

I didn't catch the title of the 3rd song.  I don't think it was a bad song at all, but it's nothing that will stay with me.

 

Now, I had also forgotten about Wild Night.  I had also forgotten about the fact that it was a cover tune.  Kind of like the first song, I seem to like it a little better now.  Maybe time has been good to it.  I really dig the bass line, very prominent and groovy.

 

I'm not much for the song Thank You, but I did like the lyrics.

 

Cool series Mike...I know you're working on that Kiss show, right?:-)

[Niels (Mod)]

I've allways liked the "Big Daddy"-album, but imo "Pop-singer" is one of the weakest tracks on that album.

"Human Wheels" was the last great album from Mellencamp. I kinda doubt. that he ever releases albums as good as that again. Or is it me, that don't really like the "style" anymore?