Thee Midniters - The Complete Midniters (1965-69 us, chicano garage/beat, psychedelic rock, 2009 remaster edition, 4 disc box set - MP3 320k and FLAC)

Who were Thee Midniters? As outlined in archivist Richie Unterberger's incisive liner notes (Unterberger previously did an in-depth profile of the band in his 2000 book Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers: Overlooked Innovators and Eccentric Visionaries of ‘60s Rock), the Chicano band formed in East Los Angeles while most of the members were still in high school, playing the covers of the day at the usual teen dance parties, eventually graduating to the recording studio where they cut their first album, 1965's Whittier Blvd., which contained a pair of regional hits, the title track - "a warped mutation of the Rolling Stones' ‘2120 South Michigan Avenue'," is how Unterberger describes it - and a rousing cover of "Land Of A Thousand Dances."



Armed with the killer instinct and soulful lead vocals of Willie Garcia (a/k/a Little Willie G, who'd go on to work with Los Lobos, Ry Cooder, Los Straitjackets and others) and possessing an uncanny ability to both channel and transcend their influences, Thee Midniters served up a heady stew, one that was primarily rock and soul-based but occasionally spiced up with touches of their Mexican-American musical heritage (although to this day the surviving musicians will insist that they were not playing Latin rock per se; they just happened to be Latinos who rocked).



Observes Lobos' Louie Perez in Unterberger's liners, "Thee Midniters didn't stay in one predictable place. They were willing to push the envelope of what was expected by a band that was from East Los Angeles... [They] were the best band around at the time. They became our Beatles; all the stuff that was going on in Beatlemania, we translated into Midniter mania. It gave young kids who would eventually become musicians like myself inspiration to pursue a career in music."It's not hard to hear why, based on the four complete LPs and assorted B-sides and rarities represented on Complete.



The first album primarily comprises cover tunes, standouts ranging from the swaggering R&B of Marvin Gaye's "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" and street-corner group the Concords' smooth "Come Back Baby" to the aforementioned "1000 Dances" and signs-of-the-times rockers "Slow Down," "Money" and "Johnny B. Goode"; anyone who grew up on this material can picture him- or herself crowding down front at the local high school hop, freed for an hour or two from parental constraints and cutting loose while going through the rituals of teenage courtship. The bonus material (seven songs) yields its own trove of gold, including a swinging "Heat Wave" and a two-part live version of "1000 Dances."



1966's Thee Midniters Bring You Love Special Delivery, though, is where things start to heat up. Still dominating the setlist are covers, notably smoking takes of "Do You Love Me," "Good Lovin'" and "Gloria" (the latter has a punkish vocal snarl and angular guitar attack that very nearly tops the Van Morrison/Them original) plus the obligatory soul outings ("When A Man Loves A Woman" passes the audition) and at least one stab at pure schmaltz ("Strangers In The Night," which no doubt was strategically deployed at those dance hops to melt the hearts and part the thighs of sweet young things). But with torrid originals like "Love Special Delivery" (penned by Garcia and bassist Jimmy Espinoza, it's on fire with surging horns, a Who-worthy rhythm section and searing lead guitar;



I'm betting King Khan has heard this a time or two) and funky, loony R&B raver "I Found A Peanut," you get a clear sense of how rapidly the band was evolving. There's also an astounding band-penned instrumental among the four bonus cuts titled "Thee Midnite Feeling," which with its cinematic/psychedelic funk vibe demands to be covered in the modern era by the Budos Band or the Dap-Kings. Sure enough, with the stage duly set, on 1967's Unlimited the band comes out firing masterfully with all guns.



Opening track "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" may be remembered by most as a Solomon Burke tune subsequently covered by the Rolling Stones, but here it's a throbbing, churning, hormone-drenched garage anthem worthy of any Nuggets or Pebbles collection that totally demolishes the Stones' version. And this time around the LP primarily consists of originals; no slight to "Devil With A Blue Dress"/"Good Golly Miss Molly" (an overwrought take of the Beatles' "Yesterday" is best ignored), but with such gems as brown-eyed soul weeper "Making Ends Meet," the jaunty, swinging "Cheatin' Woman," Yardbirds/Sonics pastiche "Welcome Home Darling" and horn-powered, Latin rock instrumental "Chile Con Soul," it's a real head-scratcher to think that Thee Midniters never really notched any significant national chart action.



A whopping eight bonus tracks round out the disc, notably the rambunctious, speed-rapping (in Spanish) mariachi rocker "The Big Ranch (El Rancho Grande)"; the Mexican folk-flavored "The Ballad of Cesar Chavez" (two versions, one in English and one in Spanish); and a track that Unterberger rightly pegs as "one of the greatest R&B-grounded garage rockers ever waxed," the positively riotous - but unerringly groove-driven - "Jump, Jive, and Harmonize." Hell, that song alone is worth the price of admission to this box.



Thee Midniters' swan song came in 1969 with Giants, a kind of odds-and-sods affair released in the aftermath of Garcia's departure from the group. By this point the inability to make much headway beyond their SoCal base of operations was taking its toll; Thee Midniters recorded for a pair of regional operations, the Chattahoochee and Whittier labels, that suffered from limited distribution, and for some reason the group's management passed on a chance to ink a deal with RCA. Still, Giants has its share of wonderful moments. Some material is reprised from earlier releases, including "Whittier Boulevard" and a live "Land of A Thousand Dances."



A five-minute instrumental cover of "Walk On By" is revelatory, its part-spiky/part-lush horn charts lending a twinned edgy/sensual feel that, had the tune been released a year or so later, would have been perfect for the soundtrack of a Blaxploitation flick. And original "Breakfast On The Grass," though somewhat anomalous for the band, is a classic slice of psychedelic pop that might have found a home on Top 40 radio; peace, love and flower power, anyone?



A final single, included here among the three bonus tracks, was recorded by the band in '69, a defiant yet buoyant Latin rocker titled "Chicano Power" that ranks alongside Santana and War. Speaking of which, also included is the previously unreleased "Baila Cinderella," a Spanish language Hubert Laws cover that, with its lead guitar and Latin percussion, makes for a satisfying Santana doppelganger. Each original album is presented as a tri-fold digipak featuring reproductions of the original sleeve art plus images of rare 45s and track annotations for the non-LP material.



The four digis along with Unterberger's liner notes are housed in a handsome box, making it an artifact that no self-respecting fan of Thee Midniters' oeuvre will want to pass up. The collection was compiled from "best available" vinyl sources, meaning that in places you will indeed hear surface noise and minor pops and ticks, but don't let that deter ya: think of it as your personal gateway to an authentically recreated experience.

by Fred Mills

Tracks

CD-1 Whittier Blvd

1. Whittier Blvd. (Dominguez, Figueroa, Garcia, Lopez, Marquez, Prado, Rendon, Salazar) - 2:28

2. Stubborn Kind of Fellow (Gaye, Gordy, Stevenson) - 2:18

3. That's All (Brandt, Haymes) - 3:06

4. Come Back Baby (Lewis, Lisi) - 2:21

5. Empty Heart (Phelge) - 2:31

6. I Need Someone (Welch) - 2:59

7. Land of a Thousand Dances (Domino, Kenner) - 2:20

8. To Be with You (Jimenez, Torres) - 2:38

9. Slow Down (Williams) - 3:03

10.Giving Up on Love (Feldman, Goldstein, Gottehrer) - 2:42

11.Money (Bradford, Gordy, Gordy) - 3:01

12.Johnny B. Goode (Berry) - 2:38

13.Evil Love (Phillip) - 2:12

14.It's Not Unusual (Mills, Reed) - 2:17

15.Heat Wave (Dozier, Holland, Holland) - 2:25

16.Land of a Thousand Dances, Pt. 1 (Domino, Kenner) - 2:28

17.Land of a Thousand Dances, Pt. 2 (Domino, Kenner) - 3:35

18.Heat Wave (Dozier, Holland, Holland) - 2:26

19.Ball o' Twine (Harris) - 1:42



CD-2 Love Special Delivery

1. Love Special Delivery (Espinoza, Garcia) - 2:12

2. Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things (Dozier, Holland, Holland) - 3:14

3. Do You Love Me (Gordy) - 3:07

4. Soul and Inspiration (Mann, Weil) - 4:10

5. Good Lovin' (Clark, Resnick) - 3:08

6. When a Man Loves a Woman (Lewis, Wright) - 2:49

7. Strangers in the Night (Kaempfert, Singleton, Snyder) - 4:44

8. Gloria (V. Morrison) - 3:16

9. Love Makes the World Go Round (Jackson) - 3:28

10.I Found a Peanut (Espinoza, Garcia) - 2:30

11.Don't Go Away (Marquez) - 2:46

12.Are You Angry (Espinoza, Flores, Garcia) - 2:24

13.It'll Never Be Over for Me (Biagman, Bobrick) - 3:23

14.Thee Midnite Feeling (LaMont, Rendon) - 3:09

15 .Hey Little Girl (Lewis) - 2:45

16.Are You Angry (Espinoza, Flores, Garcia) - 2:39



CD-3 Unlimited

1. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love (Berns, Burke, Wexler) - 2:41

2. Cheatin' Woman (Espinoza, Garcia, LaMont) - 2:45

3. Could It Be (Marquez) - 2:03

4. Thee Walking Song (Dominguez, Garcia) - 2:18

5. Dreaming Casually (Garcia, Rendon) - 3:05

6. Never Knew I Had It So Bad (Dominguez, Garcia, LaMont) - 2:31

7. Yesterday (Lennon, McCartney) - 2:34

8. Devil with a Blue Dress/GoodGolly, Miss Molly (F. Long, W. Stevenson, J. Marascalco, R. Blackwell) - 3:13

9. Making Ends Meet (Garcia, Rendon) - 2:32

10.Chile con Soul (Prado) - 2:33

11.Welcome Home Darling (Garcia, LaMont) - 2:17

12.The Town I Live In (Dodd, Mitchell, Rice) - 3:18

13.The Big Ranch (El Rancho Grande) (Ramos, Silvano R. Ramos) - 2:50

14.Dragon-Fly (Garcia, LaMont, Marquez, Rendon) - 3:06

15.Looking out a Window (Bagliazo, Dominguez, Garcia) - 2:57

16.Jump, Jive and Harmonize (Espinoza, Garcia, Marquez) - 2:29

17.Tu Despedida (Dominguez, Garcia) - 2:54

18.You're Gonna Make Me Cry (Prado, Torres) - 2:40

19.The Ballad of Cesar Chavez (English Version) (Dominguez, Garcia, Garcia) - 4:55

20.La Copla de Cesar Chavez (Spanish Version) (Dominguez, E. Garcia, Garcia, Garcia) - 4:58



CD-4 Giants

1. Whittier Blvd. (Dominguez, Figueroa, Garcia, Lopez, Marquez, Prado, Rendon, Salazar) - 2:30

2. Goin' out of My Head (Randazzo, Weinstein) - 5:32

3. Land of a Thousand Dances (Domino, Kenner) - 2:24

4. Walk on By (Bacharach, David) - 5:15

5. Sad Girl (Higgins, Smith) - 2:42

6. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love (Berns, Burke, Wexler) - 2:38

7. Brother Where Are You? (Brown, Oscar Brown Jr.) - 4:04

8. Breakfast on the Grass (Espinoza, Marquez, Torres) - 2:31

9. Strangers in the Night (Kaempfert, Singleton, Snyder) - 4:44

10.Love Special Delivery (Espinoza, Garcia) - 2:15

11.That's All (Brandt, Haymes) - 3:07

12.Chicano Power (Prado) - 3:04

13.Never Give You Up (Butler, Gamble, Huff) - 3:22

14.Balla Cinderella (Laws) - 3:17



Thee Midniters

*Willie Garcia a.k.a. Little WIllie G - Vocals

*George Dominguez - Guitars

*George Salazar - Drums

*Romeo Prado - Trombone

*Jimmy Espinoza - Bass

*Larry Rendon - Saxophone, Flute, Piano, Organ

*Ronny Figueroa - Organ, Conga

*Paul C Saenz - Guitars

*Danny LaMont - Drums, Piano

*Roy Marquez - Guitar, Background Vocals



[ Rip and Scans by MARIOS ]

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Movie Review: The Switch Movie

Just watched the movie "The Switch" starred by Jennifer Aniston as Kassie Larson and Jason Bateman as Wally Mars.  It is a romantic comedy drama film.  It seems more on the drama side.

Its about a Kassie who is approaching middle age who decides to get a child through artificial insemination.  She and Wally Mars are best friends.  They separate and then seven years after she returns with the kid named Sebastian.  That's when things got complicated with Kassie, Wally and the donor.  The plot was kind of weird and unrealistic to me although it was pretty good to watch.

While watching this movie, it reminded me of another film which also involved a single woman getting artificial dissemination called "The Back Up Plan".  With two movies like this, it got me thinking.  Is it really possible that some women give up on finding the right one and prefer to raise kids on their own?  I guess, times have change.  Gone are the days where being a single mother was taboo and wives have to tolerate their husbands just for the welfare of their kids and because of their public outlook.  Women have become more confident and independent.

As I watched this, it made me dreamy of having a guy best friend like the two main casts.  I agree with Kassie in the movie that it is essential that guys have a sense of humor and that is also why I prefer to have guy best friends.  From childhood, I've had several close guy friends before.  (Really miss those good days!) But it never worked out.  I'm amazed at how long there were able to make it work.  What do you guys think?

   

Poem: Abstract Masterpiece

Seven years ago... on a sleepless night when I was lost in thoughts, I wrote this poem.  Its been kept hidden all this years and I almost forgot about it.  Today is the special day of my inspiration for this so I'm reposting this even if he may not be around to view this.  This poem is a perfect reflection of my feelings, my confusion and my conclusion.   While rereading this again, I'm glad because I have reaffirmed my views.  Let me know what you guys think.

Abstract Masterpiece

This abstract is a mystery.
It was poured out of empathy,
It was given such time and effort,
like a delicate plant in a garden.

It is an object even the rich can't find easily.
No one can ever find it displayed in a store.
The makers identity is known to all,
yet no one has ever seen him before.

They say this is a gift from the maker.
Some say the art is a proof of the maker.
Others say the that maker never existed
and that painting isn't real.

Rumors have it that people who've seen it,
looked at it with deep expression...
trying to figure what it means...
for it may not look like what it seems.

Most see it as a piece...
full of pain and sorrow...
yet some don't see these... 
for they only see joys and bliss.

Some say it is too pale,
yet others say it is so vivid.
Some adored how the colors blend,
others complained why it's designed that way.

One thing is genuinely true,
people who have seen this piece of art, 
live on to remember it...
even if it is locked deep inside their memory.

Like all arts, there are some forgeries,
so there were those who were fooled.
But like all copies, an origin exists...
yet some don't believe anymore in this.

For those who had the chance to view it,
the one which is indeed priceless...
are quite few, but very fortunate...
for it gave meaning to their lives.

Some closed their eyes and refused to see...
the wonders of this painting...
for they have seen too many forgeries... 
that they've lost the interest to see the real thing.

No one really knows where this art is now...
Some say it has vanished.
Some say it still exists.
Others say there is no such thing.

Whether it exists or not,
the choice is yours to decide.
Some live their lives to find it,
while others live to ignore it.

But I'd advice you to keep your eyes open...
for you might find it when you don't expect.
When it shows itself, it's hard to ignore,
cause you'd like to look at it more and more.

DT824C6DPUX5

Korean Drama Review: Baker King

Baker King is also known as King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo and Bread, Love and Dreams.  Baker Kings is another Korean Drama by KBS.  It comprises of 30 episodes.  It is a story about two boys and their quest to become a great baker.

What I like about Baker King is that it was able to give the audience a glance of the process of baking, how a baker trains and works and how a bakery is run.  But the story is not limited to only that.  It also about family, friendship, love and rivalry. 

The plot is very well written and unique.  Despite the many episodes, I kept on being intimidated to watch the next one in excitement.  Every episode was entertaining.   The characters also develop and evolve through each episode.  How the story began and how it ended was made perfectly. 

I highly recommend this to anyone.  It is definitely a must watch.  This series teaches us about of hard work, patience, forgiveness, hope and many others.  Moreover, it reveals something about life.

Stages in a relationship

 

          My sister asked me to watch the video "Strangers again" knowing how hopelessly romantic I am.  She said this video has been spread around in Facebook.  The video shows seven stages according to the directors own belief:

• Stage 1: Meeting 
• Stage 2: Chase
• Stage 3: Honeymoon
• Stage 4: Comfortable
• Stage 5: Tolerance
• Stage 6: Downhill
• Stage 7: Breaking up

         Even without the video, I am already quite familiar with the stages since I've always researched on how to improve my relationship.  I agree with the video. But based on my experience,  there is more to the stages than what was shown.  I believe, the perfect relationship would be when the couple would eternally cycle through Stage 2: Chase - Stage 3: Honeymoon - Stage 4: Comfortable.  Once Stage 4: Comfortable reaches Stage 5: Tolerance, there is a high likelihood that it will be dragged down to Stage 6: Downhill and its inevitable consequence Stage 7: Breaking up.

Stage 2: Chase

         The chase stage or the "getting to know you stage" is essential.  It should neither be rushed nor skipped.  It should reoccur as often as possible.  Couples should never stop being interested in one another.  Even if you've been a long time couple, we should never assume that we know everything about our partners.  We should always expect, accept or even encourage change. More importantly, we should never reject their desire for improvement by bringing back the mistakes or anything negative because it hinders them from moving forward and learning from it.  We should never underestimate our power to believe or even just hope.  Yesterday, we went to church and the gospel Jesus' statement "Blessed are those who believe without seeing".  I believe we can apply it not only in our faith but with everything in life.  This reminds me of a song "The Power of One" by Donna Summer:

"The power of one

  Begins with believing

  It starts in the heart

  Then flows through the soul

  And changes the world"

         However, it is understandable that human relationships are based on the trust system.  It requires trust to believe.  If we believe and expect too much, we have to face the risk of bitter disappointments and it could affect us severely.  This is will negatively affect the relationship.  When faced with this dilemma on whether to believe or not then it would we should just be hopeful.  That way we don't turn down our partner and we don't end up being disappointment either.  I have always been guilty of this mistake.   For example, a boy was late for a date, the next day he tells his girl friend "I'll pick you up early tomorrow at 8 a.m.  The girl says "I doubt it".  The next day the boy was late because he felt offended by the girl and the girl was disappointed because the boy was again not able to do what he promised.  The girl could have just said "I'd be very happy if you do." (being hopeful)

         In the same way, we should never stop trusting, proving ourselves to be trustworthy and revealing ourselves to our partners.  When our relationship is based on the past or have gaps, one party gets left out and that creates conflicts and misunderstandings.  But it is also important to respect others preference towards privacy.  This becomes a delicate line where one should be cautious otherwise the other party might feel discomfort.  

        People are subject to change.  It is a natural consequence of self-improvement.   Self-improvement is not a selfish act.  In fact, we should support our partner in improving themselves because they are improving for our sake.  The better they are as individuals, the better they are as partners.  It is a win-win relationship for both individuals.   The improvement of a partner could also challenge or motivate the other to improve.  This strengthens the bond between them because they feel like they are functioning like a productive team.

Stage 3: Honeymoon

         Most people think that honeymoon or spending time doing anything together as a couple is always positive but it could also be negative. Some say that too much time together is unhealthy.  But how much time is too much?  Too much is not a length of time nor a percentage of time.  It becomes unhealthy when it creates a negative impact because one of them feel that only one of them is benefiting and the other was forced to sacrifice something they don't want to.

Many tend to neglect that honeymoon is actually a stage to strengthen the relationship. How? 

1. It is an expression of wanting to be together.
2. They share an experience which they could someday recall and reflect upon or laugh about.
3. Both of them feel loved because each of them had to dedicate their time just to be with each other.

But it can also bring about negative effects such as:

1. Neglecting responsibilities
2. Not having time to develop relationships

For example, a girl with a clear intention of spending quality time with his boyfriend invites him to take her to the movies.  The boy was also invited by his friends to play video games which he enjoys doing.  He is afraid that his girlfriend would think he prioritizes his friends more than her so he takes her to the movies.  This creates an unhealthy time together since although he is physically with his girlfriend, his mind is wandering off thinking of the fun he has missed out for his girlfriend. It is a lose-lose for both parties.The boy missed out on the fun while the girl will also be uncontented since he is unable to give her the affection she needs.  Worse, negative experiences may also be brought out during couple arguments.  The boy may blame her girlfriend for the fun he missed out for her.  The girl would blame the boy for not telling her that earlier and she feels terrible dedicating her time for him when his mind is wandering off anyway

     3. Not having time for personal growth and identity

     4. Not having enough space like when we are tired or stressed and just want to relax on our own

       When a relationship is healthy or  having proper communication, understanding, compromise, love and trust, there can never be too much time together.  Every relationship requires a give and take between both  partners.  More importantly it has to be willful,  honest and sincere.  This is the tricky part.  There will always be a time when we have to refuse. Otherwise, it will have the negative effects stated above.    The refusing party has to carefully state his reasons honestly and in the sweetest way possible.  While the other party has to accept, understand and let go freely.  This is the reason why this has to go after the chase stage because by this stage, the couples should already know what it important to each other and support it.  

Stage 4: Comfortable

        When a couple gets into the comfortable stage, each of them can either: 

• go back to the Stage 2: Chase

           They could continue working harder to improve their relationship more.  People usually interpret this as being "in love".  They take every opportunity to rekindle their love just as when they started off.  They try to work things out with utmost dedication.  Although this may sound difficult, if not impossible for most people this is attainable.  I have seen many old couples despite decades of years in marriage still holding hands with each other, giving each other flowers whenever they have a chance to and prioritize their dates even in the midst of all their other commitments.

• forward to the Stage 5: Tolerance stage

          They could stay relaxed with one another.  Their treatment for one another starts to decline.   They dedicate lesser time for one another.  Communicating and opening up to each other becomes harder.  Soon, they will feel that there is a gap between them and then misunderstandings and arguments occur more often.  Once they start to feel unloved it will go towards the downhill stage.  

Stage 6: Downhill

         Once the tolerance stage is reached, it is already difficult to climb back up since there is a consideration of trust involved.  We take pain very seriously and it is difficult to forget.  With this, it will be difficult to work things out because the damage has been done.  Our insistence cannot overcome the damage caused by the harsh words exchanged during our arguments.

Stage 7: Breaking up

          Some couples prefer to prolong the agony before facing the truth that it is better to break up.  However, this is not the stage to struggle nor fight for love.  Those opportunities have long been gone.  But breaking up may sometimes really be the best option.  It is not the end of the world nor is it a failure.  

Defining the stages of the relationship is not that simple.  Since there are two parties in a relationship, one party may be at a different stage than the other.  For example, one may opt for the chasing stage while the other opts for the tolerance stage.  Bottom line is making  a relationship work isn't easy.  It has many factors and requirements.  But once you make it work, it can be the greatest thing in life you'll ever live to experience.