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Belated apologies!  It’s only been a week but I realize quickly just how much history has been made this past week in my absence. 

So much has been said already about Michael Jackson, perhaps you’ll allow me a reflection of my own.  My personal recollections are quite vivid of younger days when I used to spin my sister Jackie’s JACKSON FIVE lps and 45s.  Those songs - ”ABC”; “The Love You Save”; “I’ll Be There” were my first introduction to Michael’s talent.  I remember hearing “Off the Wall” – the title track of Michael’s solo debut from ’79 – on the legendary KY58 one evening while listening to Lorraine Mansbridge (remember her?).  “Rock With You” was such a massive hit; such a cool groove.  I won’t claim to have been a huge fan, but I’ve always loved pop music; to my way of thinking those early days were still his best records.  “Thriller” of course will forever remain the cornerstone of Michael Jackson’s legacy.  There was the hype behind the MTV “premiere” of the John Landis produced  ”Thriller” video that I recall was seen by just about everybody under the age of 25.  Perhaps Michael’s most exciting moment on stage was his performance of “Billie Jean” and the sheer exhileration of watching him do the “moon walk” for the first time!  Whether you loathe, like or love Michael Jackson, one has to concede to his innate talent that was sooooo incredibly awesome!

The chilling revelations shared by the former Mrs. Jackson – Lisa Marie Presley – make known to us for the first time that despite his celebrity and success – Michael Jackson was a very lonely human being.  I suppose that’s because someone like Michael really never knew who to trust, or who his true friends really were.  Conversely these people were never congniscent of his declining health because their friendship/association was less about compassion where self interest was concerned.  Anybody close to Michael, or Elvis for that matter, surely knew the clock was ticking.  Too bad nobody spoke up. 

I will never dispute the fact that Michael was a poster-child for eccentricity, and there is suspect to circumstances that surround his nefarius legal allegations.   Now that he’s gone, it’s inevitable there is going to be more revelations cast upon the curious life and career that was the King of Pop.

RIP Michael.

A number of classic rock acts have commented on the passing last week of Michael Jackson.

Paul McCartney: “I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever and my memories of our time together will be happy ones. I send my deepest sympathy to his mother and the whole family and to his countless fans all around the world.”

Alice Cooper: “Michael Jackson was easily as influential as James Brown, and that’s saying a lot. He was the Fred Astaire of his time. We had Vincent Price in common — I used him first on Welcome to My Nightmare in 1975, and he later used him on Thriller. Nobody moved like Michael, he was truly the King of Pop.”

Tommy Shaw of Styx: “It is an unbelievably shocking and sad day for our generation. The knockout combination of Michael Jackson’s music and his unique ability to entertain us made him a global artist without peers. This is what will endure. What an incredible body of work it is.”

James “J-Y” Young of Styx: “Michael was an incredibly talented human being that got placed in the spotlight most likely at far too young an age…and with the astounding success he and his brothers enjoyed, I doubt that he had anything resembling a normal childhood. May he rest in peace.”

Bryan Adams: “All of us here at my organization, and I think I can speak for my fans too, want to say goodbye Michael. Thanks for the great music. Rest in peace.”

Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues: “I don’t think he made a bad record and I think it’s a curious day that so many people are feeling that they have to comment, but you can just see the power of that particular music.”

Graham Nash: “Let us all remember the most important aspect of Michael’s life… the music that was the soundtrack of so many peoples lives.”

Black Sabbath and Heaven and Hell bassist Geezer Butler: “Saddened and shocked to hear of the passing of Michael Jackson. He truly was, and always will be, a true icon. Thriller was one of the greatest pop masterpieces of all time. A sad day for our world. Rest in peace.”

The classic film satire of rock and roll This Is Spinal Tap will be released on Blu-Ray for the first time on July 28th. Bonuses will include deleted scenes and the real-life 2007 performance by the once-faux band at the Live Earth mega-concert.

Crosby Stills and Nash head the class being inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame during ceremonies tonight in New York. They’ll be inducted by James Taylor, who was enshrined in the Songwriters Hall in 2000.

C-S-N are joined by The Rascals creative leaders Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, and Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi. This year’s “non-performer” selections include the British duo of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, whose credits include The Hollies “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,” The Fortunes‘ “You’ve Got Your Troubles,” Gary Lewis‘s “Green Grass,” and “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,” an extended version of the Coca-Cola jingle the duo wrote.

Joining them are Broadway tunesmiths Stephen Schwartz — best known for Godspell, and Hair‘s composing team of Galt MacDermot, James Rado and the later Gerome [pr: Jerome] Ragni.

“Moon River” and the artist most linked with it, Andy Williams, will receive The Towering Song and Towering Performance awards.

The legendary Motor City team of Holland-Dozier-Holland will receive The Johnny Mercer Award, a kind of “best-of-the-best” honor reserved for previous Songwriters Hall inductees.

And Tom Jones will receive the Howie Richmond Hit-maker Award for having helped make so many songs into classic hits over the years.

While the ceremonies honor legendary talent and include some terrific performances, it has not been televised in recent years.

40 years ago there were rumours, albeit exagerated, that Paul was in fact dead!  Fans were convinced they heard John Lennon say ”…I buried Paul” in the fading seconds of “Strawberry Fields Forever” (the tape speed had been altered for effect.  The actual spoken line was ”cranberry sauce”…a typical Lennon mutterance).  Have a look at the front cover shot of the “Abbey Road” album for what was perceived as deliberate signs to substantiate the rumours;  Paul is walking barefooted (indicative of the afterlife) – left foot forward (the other members are pacing right foot first) and wearing a suit.  Also note the license plate on the parked car to the side…it reads “28 IF”…as in 28 if Paul had lived. 

Happy 67th Paul!

Ventures co-founder Bob Bogle died Sunday after a long battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was 75.

Bogle founded The Ventures will fellow Seattle construction worker Don Wilson and built a distinctive sound that landed them in the Rock and Roll and Hall of Fame.

Wilson told the News-Tribune of Tacoma, Washington, “Even though you know it’s gonna happen, when it does it’s like a bomb dropping on you. He’s the brother I never had — and is much more than any brother could be. He and I were partners for, like, 52 years. And to tell you the honest truth, we had never, ever had an argument in all that time — never.”

Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys calls Bogle, “One of the inventors of surf music and I will treasure the Ventures recordings forever. Bob, thanks for leading the way and I will miss you.”

The band’s first hit, a rocked-up remake of Chet Atkins‘ instrumental “Walk Don’t Run,” climbed to number-two in the summer of 1960. Its staccato guitar sound heavily influenced the phenomenon emerging down the West Coast in California, surf music. The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and The Rip Chords adapted the style into their music with chart-busting success.

During a time when singles far outsold L-Ps, the Ventures became an important album act — eventually selling over 100-million albums worldwide. Partly because there was never a language barrier in their records, they became America’s greatest musical ambassadors to Japan. They’ve toured there annually since 1962.

You can now take a leak on Gene Simmons‘ face and he’s okay with that. The marketing maven, who has put his mug on caskets, condoms and bottles of wine, can now be seen on urinal cakes. On his website, Simmons writes, “For all of you who have always wanted to pee on my face, now you can. A-and-E has put Gene Simmons Family Jewels urinal cakes throughout the country… Now, for those of you who need detail, all you need to do is point your tool into the urinal, hit the cake with your flow and don’t be surprised if the urinal cake talks back to you.” Apparently the cakes are a hot item as some of them have been stolen.  Stolen?  Don’t be shaking hands with that guy!

In Session, the long out-of-print 1983 live album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King, will be re-issued on June 30th. The album has been digitally remastered and features three sets of new liner notes. In Session features mostly King originals and Vaughan’s own “Pride and Joy.”