Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Monster Mash" (Bobby "Boris" Pickett)

Welcome to Tuesday...(insert maniacal laughter)   You've stumbled into the place where the best jack o' lantern jingles meet songs about The Spirit!!! Welcome to Tuesday's Musical Notes..the Halloween edition...(insert creepy organ music...isn't most organ music creepy...but we digress).  It's the time of the year for candy and chords, tasty treats and tunes, and the occasional "thump" in the night...wait that's the bass drum...

Long before Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Thriller"), The Edgar Winter Group's  "Frankenstein" (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Frakenstein"), or Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Ghostbusters") became the bar setting songs by which every Halloween song is now judged, there was this classic from Bobby Pickett.  With an assist from Dick Clark and American Bandstand...it's called the mash!!!

"Monster Mash" - Bobby "Boris" Pickett from the 1962 album The Original Monster Mash

"Monster Mash" screamed into the #1 position during the Halloween week of its release in 1962.  Bobby "Boris" Pickett was part of a group called the Cordials that played covers of popular music of the times.  "Monster Mash" came as a result of Pickett doing a monologue as Boris Karloff while the band was playing "Little Darlin", the smash hit by The Diamonds.  Pickett's rendition of Karloff was so popular that fellow band member Lenny Capizzi encouraged him to do more.  Pickett and Capizzi cowrote "Monster Mash" and recorded it with session musicians credited as "The Crypt-Kickers". "Monster Mash" continued to be so popular that it also hit the US Billboard charts in December 1962, August 1970, and May 1973.  Surprising since none of these are "Halloween" times.  

There were 2 "sequels" also recorded by Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers.  "Monster's Holiday" (December 1962) was the Christmas tune that follows the characters of the original "Monster Mash" as the celebrate the season, and "Monster's Rap" (1985) where the monster from the original song is taught how to speak by utilizing the "new" genre of music called "Rap".

Believe it or not, the Bible does have something to say regarding monsters.  From Job's "behemoth" (Job 40:14-16 English Standard Bible) and "leviathan" (Job 3:8 ESV, Job 41:1-3 ESV) to the beasts of John's revelation, their are some pretty scary creatures that roam through the inspired Word of God.  From a secular website's perspective, here is a list of the top 10 "monsters" in the Bible:  Top 10 monsters in the Bible by Charlotte Coville toptenz.net July 21, 2011.

While the Bible does address some situations and creatures that should be cause for alarm, the Bible NEVER suggests that those who are bought with THE PRICE, should be fearful.  The Bible instructs believers in fact to not be afraid.  In the King James Version of the Bible, the phrase "fear not" is used 63 times.  "Don't be afraid" is found 59 times in the Holman Christian Standard Bible as well.  If you are a "word searcher" of the Bible you realize that an exact phrase match of this magnitude is something of import and should be given much attention. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs His disciples to not be afraid of the persecution that they will experience:  The Gospel of Matthew 10 Holman Christian Standard Bible/The Message Paraphrase parallel.  Fear could have easily become a way of life for the disciples, however they chose to take Jesus' advice and live in the opposite of fear, joy and confidence in The Truth.  All but one of the disciples was martyred for The Way.  The only one to live out his life was the Apostle John, author of The Gospel Of John, 1,2,and 3 John and The Revelation.  While he was allowed to see old age, his life was not devoid of persecution.  He was exiled to the island of Patmos where he received the visions that would become the book of The Revelation.  He dedicated his life to forwarding the Gospel of The Life.

A few years back and incredible group of books were written by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.  They became known as the "Left Behind" series.  These books detailed the Scriptural based happenings set in fictional lives of a diverse body of people after the rapture of the Church.  The books were "thrillers" in their own right and caused many a discussion about the fearful "end time" events included in their pages.  I confess to not being a student of this particular portion of the Bible.  I will however suggest that God has instructed us as believers to not be fearful regarding this time.  In essence...HE'S GOT THIS!!!  Our rationale for studying end times should be to invigorate our sense of urgency about spreading the Gospel of Jesus, not being fearful of the events that will take place around us.  While we should certainly be aware of the prophecies coming to pass right before our eyes, our ultimate goal is to focus on seeing as many people as possible escape the perils described in prophecy.  We achieve this goal by having a fear ending faith in who Jesus is and what He says He will be doing during that time.

So dear friend as we go begin the kickoff the season that ruins the "diet" resolutions we made back in January, let us remember that we live in fearful times, urgent times, but we have NO reason to fear because the Creator God of the universe and the Savior God, Jesus, have promised us a Comforter God, Spirit to provide a relief during our times of anxiety.  In fact, one might get so excited about not being afraid they might do the mash...

"No Monsters" from the 1995 album R.I.O.T (Righteous Invasion Of Truth) by Carman

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Hold The Line" (Toto)

Greetings!!!  Hello!!! You've made it to the right place!  Yep!  This is just where you are supposed to be!  Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!  (insert elaborate herald trumpet fanfare, like this: Herald Trumpet - "Royal Entrance Fanfare") 

Thank you for joining us each week from all over the world!  While the vast majority of "hits" to The Notes occurs from the good 'ol USA, we are grateful that Tuesday's Musical Notes is read around the world in places like Russia ("Во вторник музыкальные ноты"), Germany ("Dienstag's Noten"), and France ("Notes de musique de mardi").  So regardless of where you may be, let's get started already!!!


"I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..."  Nope, Just like Tuesday's Musical Notes, they are still listened to all over the world.  After 37 years and 17 albums, they will tour Europe and Japan with the band Yes ("Owner Of A Lonely Heart", "Roundabout") in support of their newest album Toto XIV next year.  Here is the hit that propelled them to a Grammy nomination for "Best New Artist" and brought the band Toto into everyone's radio:

Toto - "Hold The Line" from their 1978 self titled debut album

Three of the band's five current roster are original members.  They have had a revolving door of musicians that have played on tour and on their records in their 37 year history.  They have also loaned their individual talents to some of the biggest records in history.  Ever heard of a struggling little album called Thriller? (sarcasm inferred)  Unlike other bands from their time period like Chicago (23 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 10 compilation albums) or The Rolling Stones (29 studio albums, 13 live albums, 24 compilation albums), the band members of Toto remain so busy with studio musician contracts and solo projects, that they have had limited time to focus on their own band.  Typically, you see Toto release an album, tour in support of that album and then wait several years before putting out their next round of music.  This method has seemed to work as they continue to entertain audiences world wide. 

The story is told by original bassist, David Hungate, that the name Toto came from a label that was placed on the band's demo tapes to identify their music from other "masters" at the recording studio.  He later explained that the phrase "in Toto" was Latin for "all encompassing". Due to the fact that all of the band members had played on so many other artists albums they decided to adopt the name for the release of their eponymous debut album in 1978.  No Dorothy, the band is not named after your dog...

Their greatest moment came in 1982 in the form of Toto IV ("Africa", "Roseanna", and "I Won't Hold You Back").  Chances are, you probably have the vinyl, cassette or perhaps a cd of this album tucked away in a corner or out in your garage.  In more modern terms you more than likely have one of Toto IV's hit singles in your playlist.  But with out today's smash from the late '70s it is doubtful that you would have ever heard of the band Toto. 

From its piano heavy intro to its trademark guitar licks, "Hold The Line" continues to be one of Toto's top requested songs.  Keyboardist and principle song writer for the band, David Paich, claimed that it only took a couple of hours to write, once he got the initial piano triplet pattern out of his head.  It was the bands first hit as it peaked at #5 in the top of Billboard's Hot 100 in 1978.   "Hold The Line" would wind up at #44 in the end of the year countdown for 1979.  

"Hold The Line", "Stop the Presses", and "Hold Your Horses",  are phrases that express the need to immediately halt what you are doing so consideration may be made for a pressing decision.  The "line" in our feature songs title is talking about a telephone line where someone would be waiting for more information, or be asked to wait until the other end of the conversation can rejoin.  This choice of words encourages the parties involved to pull back from a situation and evaluate all the available information before pursuing their current direction.  They speak of squelching the impetuousness of an emotional outburst when a  "heat of the moment" decision can cause more harm than good.   Have you ever made a decision in impulse that you regretted later?

Many Biblical characters have had moments of regret due to the fact they didn't "hold the line" and think their decisions through completely.  Abram's wife, Sarai, loses hope that she will have children, even after God had promised  Abram that he would be the father of many descendants (Genesis 13:14-17 New American Standard Bible/ The Message paraphrase parallel).  So Sarai take matters into her own hands and offers her handmaiden, Hagar, to Abram to take as a 2nd wife.  Just like Adam in the garden of Eden when Eve asked him to eat of the forbidden fruit, Abram should have had a "hold the line" moment, yet he didn't.  Many believe that the conflicts that have been constant and will continue to be constant in the Middle East have come from the results of Abram's poor decision with Hagar.  

A later story about a bowl of soup and family hierarchy also shows that sometimes you should "stop the presses" and get more information.  Later on in Genesis we see the story about 2 brothers, Jacob and Esau.  Like many cultures today, the eldest son would receive the bulk of the estate upon the father's death.  He would also maintain the family heritage and be the leader of the extended tribe or clan that lived around him.  However, in Esau's case, he let his intense appetite, subvert his thinking process.  He traded away something very precious for something extremely common, due to the fact that he thought he just could not wait.  Read the results of Abrams decision as well as Jacob and Esau's meal encounter here:  Genesis 25 Common English Version/ The Message paraphrase parallel.  The point being that instant decisions have long lasting effects.  

It is incumbent upon us as followers of Jesus, to occasionally have a "Hold The Line" moment.  The song suggests that the relationship in question is unbalanced, that the person being sung to is much more serious about the relationship than the singer.  They are at different stages of the relationship and the singer is saying, "wait a minute, I'm not sure I feel as strongly about you as you do for me.  Our timing is off".  There are times in our "walk" that we will feel out of step with Jesus.  This is due to our nature as sinful creatures.  As a part of fallen humanity, we will sin.  Repentance is the only way to restore that lockstep with Christ.  Yes, even believers need to repent of the sin that they commit, because the Bible reminds us..."There is none righteous, no not one"  Romans 3:10 New International Version/ The Message paraphrase parallel.  But we also have the promise from Isaiah that through repentance our sins will be washed as white as snow.  Isaiah 1 NIV/The Message parallel

As you go through life, realize that occasionally you may need to "slam on the brakes", "stop the presses", or "hold the line" before you make a decision.  Chances are, when you do, God will show you exactly the way to go...

Isaiah 40:31 NIV/ The Message parallel, 

Lamentations 3:25 NIV/ The Message parallel,  

Micah 7:7 NIV/ The Message parallel,  

1 Corinthians 4:5 NIV/ The Message parallel

 

"Still" by Hillsong from the 2003 album Hope

 

'Til Tuesday,

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "We Just Disagree" (Dave Mason)

Welcome to Tuesday!!!

It's time, it's time, did he just say it's time?  Yup!  It's time for another edition of your favorite blog about music and ministry, songs and scripture, chords and culture...it's Tuesday Musical Notes!!!  Thanks for being here!  Strap on the seat belts, it could be a bumpy ride!

Here at The Notes, we are fast realizing the HUGE impact that the decade of music from the 70s has had.  We were recently listening to Sirius 70s on 7 and caught Casey Kasem's American Top 40 countdown for this past week from 1976.  As we got closer to the top, we realized how much we loved all of that music.  (Yes, we even like "Disco Duck", the top 20 hit by later Countdown host, Rick Dees)  As music, so many times does, fond memories of events and friends flowed as the countdown went to the eventual #1, "A Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band.  

The music of the 70's tends to get lumped into the "Decade of Disco" stereotype.  But there is so much of the music of the 70s that wasn't anywhere close to KC and the Sunshine Band or Donna Summer.  A case in point is our feature song of the day, "We Just Disagree".  Take a listen....this ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around...:

"We Just Disagree" from the 1977 album Let It Flow by Dave Mason

"We Just Disagree" was a #12 hit in 1977 for English singer-guitarist Dave Mason.  While you may not recognize the name, Dave Mason, perhaps you know some of his friends.  Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and even Michael Jackson have been the beneficiaries of Mason's guitar playing.  He began gaining notoriety in 1967 with the supergroup Traffic (Mason, Steve Winwood (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "While You See A Chance", Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Higher Love"), Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood).  He would write the song "Feelin' Alright" that Traffic would record, but later became a smash hit for Joe Cocker in 1969.  He played guitar on Jimi Hendrix's chart-topping "Along The Watchtower" and for a brief time in the 90's was a member of Fleetwood Mac, recording with them on their 1995 album Time.    He was inducted into the Rock-N-Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004 as a founding member of Traffic and since 2005 sits as an honorary board member and official supporter of the group Little Kids Rock, a foundation that provides free musical instruments to children in public schools in the United States.  Little Kids Rock! - promo video  Dave Mason also joins Rock-N-Roll acts that find their origins in the 60s, as he is on the road continuing to promote his music in limited concert dates each year.  

Proving that good music never has a statute of limitations, "We Just Disagree" peaked again in 1993 at #9, this time however on the Country Music charts by Billy Dean.  At the height of Country Music Video storytelling, here's Billy Dean's rendition of today's featured song:

"We Just Disagree" by Billy Dean from the 1993 album Fire In The Dark

 

Disagreement is going to occur in our world.  People will have differing opinions regarding a myriad of things.  Some of these things are important, while others...not so much.  In fact, many of the things that are the source of disagreement are, if given context, very minor in the scope of all that is going on around us.  One has to wonder if the time and energy spent on trying to prove our side of the argument is worth it.  Reality would dictate that in any disagreement, ultimately someone is right and someone is wrong.  There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy...  Followers of Jesus should be among the leaders in holding themselves to a higher standard by being humble enough to admit when we are wrong.  1 Peter 3:8-22 Holman Christian Standard Bible/ The Message paraphrase - parallel

 

Throughout interacting with humankind, perhaps you have had the opportunity to "agree to disagree" with someone.  While this may sound nice at the time, the truth of the matter is that you still have a disagreement with someone.  "Agreeing to disagree", even agreeably is at its very core a deception and distortion of unity.  Dictionary.com defines "unity" this way:  


Unity (noun)

1.  the state of being one; oneness.

2.  a whole or totality as combining all its parts into one.

This sounds very similar to an urgent wake-up call that the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church at Ephesus: Ephesians 4 - English Standard Version Bible/The Message paraphrase - parallel  Over a dozen times in both the ESV and The Message paraphrase, the word "one" or "One" is used.  Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus (Modern day map of Ephesus) to encourage them to be unified.  To work together as one body so The One will be glorified.  Perhaps this is a letter that applies to the church today.  Have you ever heard of disagreements in the church?  Ever been to a contentious "business meeting"?  If I may be so bold, disunity in the church has been a leading cause for folks not embracing the Gospel.  I am ashamed to admit there have been times that I have been guilty of it myself.  Again, let me boldly say that being a patron of disunity is to be living in disobedience to God.   If one is practicing disunity, their relationship with God is broken and must be repaired by repentance.  Our life should be an attraction to the Gospel.  But because of our selfishness and opinionated plans, there have been far too many seasons in the church of disunity.   The church was not designed to be a place of derision and confusion.  It was designed to be a magnet to attract others to The Gospel of Jesus (The Gospel Of Matthew 5:13-16 New King James Version Bible/The Message paraphrase - parallel, Ephesians 2 HCSB/The Message - parallel).  What would happen in your community if the churches that follow Jesus joined together on the tenants of which they have agreement and then served their communities.  What if they worried less about the "doctrinal" ideologies in which they have disagreement or growth in individual church membership and worried more about people coming to a saving relationship with Jesus and growth in the Kingdom of God?    

In recent days, the church has begun receiving much criticism.  Christians are continually being called upon to defend their convictions.  Gone are the days when followers of Jesus can capitulate to the demands of the world.  As believers, we must disagree with the sin of this world, for if we do not, we will become the world in which we live and will have lost our saltiness and effectiveness in reaching our circle of influence. We must realize that the Christ-following churches that are in our town have commonalities that we can embrace and do the good works we were destined to do.  We can no longer leave it alone when we don't see eye to eye.  There IS a Good Guy.  There Is a bad guy.  If we are followers of Jesus, we cannot disagree...

"Go Light Your World" by Kathy Troccoli from the 1995 album Sounds Of Heaven

 

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy

Tuesday's Musical Notes - "You've Got A Friend" (James Taylor)

 


Good Day To You Friend,

In 2010, I was solicited for a submission to our church newsletter.  I was very excited about this opportunity as for many years, I have been curious about how one could take a variety of music and "redeem" them to be a testimony of sorts, or at the very least an encouragement to someone's day.  The digital age hit in full force and it was decided that it was no longer cost effective to produce a print newsletter.  The writing bug had bitten, so to speak, and I transitioned my articles into email to friends and family who could "opt out" at any time if they did not want to receive the email on a weekly basis. I made the decision to send these emails out on Tuesday because, at that time, most new release music and movies (two of my passions) became available on Tuesdays.  In the subject line for the email...Tuesday's Musical Notes - "song title here".

I am very grateful that after 5 years and over 8000 views (from all over the world, even once in Iran) I get to continue to pen musings about music mingled with ponderings on the profound.  It is our goal to encourage, enlighten, and educate anyone who wishes to take a few minutes each week and read what we pray is God honoring, Jesus revealing, and Holy Spirit led.  In the process even pick up a few new friends.  

Every Tuesday's Musical Note is archived and available, (with the exception of some of the early "email only" Notes), at tuesdaysmusicalnotes.blogspot.com.  Here you can even search by your favorite song title or just peruse through the archive listed on the far right of the blog.  If after reading today's blog, you wish to begin receiving Tuesday's Musical Notes in your "inbox", just email "I Want My TMN!"...(not quite the same feel as "I Want MY MTV" but it works in a pinch) to rawacr@gmail.com or you can visit the blog as often as you like at the above link...yes, please visit the blog often...

Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!!!

Today's Notes is a Fall flashback to May of 2011 as we take a look back at a few of the "email only" Tuesday's Musical Notes.  The first Tuesday of each month is dedicated to these early writings because some of the songs were just such classics, that we hate to leave them in the emailosphere.  Yep, you just saw the creation of a new word right before your eyes...

Without further adieu, here is the revised Tuesday's Musical Notes - "You've Got A Friend"

       In many churches around Mother's day, you get the opportunity to see beautiful babies and their families given a commitment from their church that they will be prayed for, mentored, and loved on as the babies grow.  You see during this precious service, Grandmas take pictures and Grandpas stand a little taller with pride.  You also observe followers of Jesus, the church, dedicate their lives to being friends to these families.  This involves developing relationships with these families that are so strong that you feel as if you were a vital part of their family.   Most of us have "Aunts" or "Uncles" who are not related by our DNA, but their influence on our lives are as important and in some cases perhaps more important than those with whom we share a family tree.   That kind of relationship is what thousands of people around us crave.  If we want to see people delivered, lives transformed, and friendships flourish, we have to be willing to tell those that Jesus loves (which is everyone)..."You've got a friend"

     The song was recorded 3 times in 1971.  One version, by Dusty Springfield, was not released until 1999 because of a dispute with the record label.  Carole King recorded the song on her smash hit "Tapestry". But, it wasn't until later on in the year that a friend of hers recorded the song for his "Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon" album. With his recording, James Taylor made this song about friendship a relationship anthem for an era . 

"You've Got A Friend" by James Taylor from the 1971 album Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon

"You've Got A Friend" hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and eventually won the Grammy that year for both James Taylor and Carole King.  Employing Joni Mitchell, another friend, to sing harmony on the track, James Taylor, who had already achieved critical success with his second album "Sweet Baby James" was set to become the poster boy for the 70's easy listening rock culture. 

     The One who created music also has many things to say about this relationship called friendship.  In John 15, He describes how friends behave and what they do for one another.  Gospel of John 15 Holman Christian Standard Bible/The Message Paraphrase parallel   In fact, in 3 consecutive verses (Gospel of John 15:13-15 HCSB), Jesus uses the word "friend".  He elevates the general discussion about relationships   to specifically define what friendship means.  13: A friend is one who loves.  One who loves enough to die for those that are considered friends.  I want a friend like that.  I want to be a friend like that.  14: Jesus friends are obedient.  Ooops!!!  There's the kicker.  Since the Garden of Eden, mankind has found it very difficult to satisfy this tenant of God's friendship.  I want to have friends who strive to be obedient to God.  I want to be a friend like that.  15:   Friends have no secrets.  Jesus told His disciples everything that He thought they could comprehend given their context.  He continually communicated with them through a variety of ways.  He provided a perfect example by which they could follow.  I want a friend like that.  I want to be a friend like that.  

The Gospels attest to the relationships that Jesus had.  Before he healed, he befriended.  Because He was the ultimate friend, He forgave. He told about love through the lens of friendship.   He was the example of that love when he asked God to forgive us from the sins that we commit.  The Gospel Of Luke 23 HCSB/The Message parallel

     

What is the makeup of your circle of influence?  What is the context of the group of folks you consider friends?  How are your relationships with those you consider your "friends".  Do you have friends that exhibit characteristics similar to those Jesus described in John 15?  Are you a friend like that?  If the answers to these questions are unsettling for you, let me tell you a place where you can resolve your unease.  It's a place where everybody wants to know your name.  Nope, it isn't the bar called Cheers.  It is a church.  Specifically, it is a small group that is based out of a local church in your community.  Folks my age may remember it as Sunday School.  Relationships which are the foundations for friendships are strengthened as people get to know one another through a Sunday School Class or Social event coordinated by the leaders of the group.  Lifelong bonds are made as we link arms and volunteer to work in areas where our God given strengths can be used to encourage and help others.  Those bonds are strengthened even more when we are the recipient of encouragement and help by those who are strong in areas where we are weak. 

Friendly church folks invest themselves in other people.  They go into their culture and make new friends, who they can introduce to the One who will redefine friendship for them.  They worry more about the strength of their relationships and the eternal destinations of people than the weaknesses of those they call friends.  Can we say to people "you just call out my name and you know wherever I am, I'll come runnin'"?  There are those in a local Christ centered church just waiting to be able to say that to you.  Can I encourage you this week to get to know someone in your church that you don't know very well.  If you are not consistently attending a church, make the commitment to make new friends and go this week.  You might even come away from the experience sayin'...  "Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?"

"Friend Like That" from the 2007 album Hawk Nelson Is My Friend by Hawk Nelson

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy