(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Odds & Ends: News/Humor (without a poll, will try to post separately) [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-02 Being indicted ... for paying bribes? I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers". OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted. CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Laramie, Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead. ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Georgia O’Keeffe, Photographer — with an uncommon focus on her photography, together with a complementary selection of paintings and drawings — is at the Cincinnati, Ohio Museum of Art to May 7th. Chrysler Bldg (Waldorf Astoria) YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay in Slate by the University of Texas law school professor Steve Vladeck — who has opined about the subject of judge-shopping in general — then saw himself denigrated by the Trump judge Matthew Kacsmaryk (the one considering the medication abortion case) … even though Vladeck didn’t mention anyone in particular. THURSDAY's CHILD is named Trooper the Cat — seen on a Pennsylvania’s I-83 and rescued by a state trooper after a concerned citizen alerted police. Trooper the Cat YUK for TODAY — the alt-rock band Fall Out Boy poses this question: “Trump is like the cat on The Flintstones ….. I just threw him out, why’s he in the house again?” FRIDAY's CHILD is the famous Jorts the Cat — who sat down (err, laid down) to give In These Times an interview on labor union organizing, and how “the softest paw can be a claw” has implications for humans, as well as animals. Jorts the Cat BRAIN TEASER — try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz. OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS? — with the NCAA championships this coming weekend: just-retired Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim (2003 national champions) and University of Miami head coach Jim Larranaga (whose team competed for the 2023 title). Jim Boeheim (b. 1944) & Jim Larranaga (b. 1949) ...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… with the death this week of the UK songwriter Keith Reid (at age seventy-six) — regular readers know of my interest in the fraternity of what I refer to as the “unseen lyricist” (or, at least “seldom seen”) — working with a far more public figure/on-stage performer who composed the music. In theater-film : some examples are Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse, Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice, and Burt Bacharach/Hal David. In pop/rock : Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter, Jack Bruce/Pete Brown (Cream) …. as well as Gary Brooker/Keith Reid (Procol Harum) — and thus a career retrospective of Keith Reid seems apropos. He was born in 1946 in Hertfordshire, England (to a father who had fled Austria during Nazi occupation) and grew-up in London. He left school at age fifteen to pursue a songwriting career: inspired at an early age by Bob Dylan (and the mood of his words) and allowed that the often dark tone of his own lyrics were shaped by the Holocaust. He came to the attention of Island Records owner Chris Blackwell (who is still alive today at age eighty-five) who recommended Reid to his R&B division president Guy Stevens. Stevens in turn suggested Reid write music with Gary Brooker, then keyboardist of a band called The Paramounts. That band eventually morphed into Procol Harum, whose initial run was from 1967-1977 (with subsequent reunions/re-configurations lasted until 2020). Until a 2017 album release (which mostly used lyrics written by the aforementioned Pete Brown) — every original song that Procol Harum ever recorded included lyrics by Keith Reid. Though he rarely appeared on-stage with the band (one exception was their 1972 live recording with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, which saw the single Conquistador reach #5 in the US charts) he was considered an official band member and was present at most of their concerts. With few exceptions, Reid said that he handed Gary Brooker a preliminary set of lyrics for him to compose around (usually the other-way-around for many songwriting partnerships). Easily their most memorable song came early: A Whiter Shade of Pale had music that Brooker adapted from Bach’s Air on a G String (from his Orchestral Suite No 3 in D major) reaching #1 in Britain and #5 in the US. Forty-two years later, the song had an unexpected coda: Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher won a decision from Britain’s highest court that — due to his writing the swirling organ arrangements — that he be entitled to a share of future royalties from 2009 on. After Procol Harum, Reid worked as a manager for other artists, but after relocating to New York and restarting his songwriting, he had another chart success in 1986. Australian pop singer John Farnham was to sing an anti-nuclear tune written by a group of UK songwriters … who sought out to Keith Reid for help with lyrics (and even a title). You’re the Voice reached #6 in the UK and seven weeks at the top of the Australian charts, reaching #1 in Germany and Sweden. In this century he released two solo albums under the banner The Keith Reid Project. The Common Thread was released in 2008 and In My Head (2018), with his songs performed by musicians such as Southside Johnny and John Waite. Keith Reid died last week in a London hospital after receiving cancer treatment for two years. He was preceded in death (also from cancer) by his songwriting partner Gary Brooker just over a year earlier. Keith Reid (in the 1960’s) ... … and much more recently Two songs to highlight — one is the title track from Procol Harum’s 1968 second album Shine on Brightly — which illustrates Keith Reid’s eclectic range of lyricism. My Prussian blue electric clock Alarm bell rings, it will not stop And I can see no end in sight And search in vain by candlelight For some long road that goes nowhere For some signpost that is not there And even my befuddled brain Is shining brightly, quite insane The chandelier is in full swing As gifts for me, the three kings bring Of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told And fat old Buddhas, carved in gold And though it seems they smile with glee I know in truth they envy me And watch as my befuddled brain Shines on brightly, quite insane Above all else, confusion reigns And though I ask, no one explains My eunuch friend has been and gone He said that I must soldier on And though the Ferris Wheel spins round My tongue, it seems, has run the ground And croaks as my befuddled brain Shines on brightly, quite insane The other is from the band’s 1971 fifth album — the final recording with guitarist Robin Trower (before he began a solo career) — Power Failure is a good song in-and-of-itself … but the drum solo by B.J. Wilson in the middle portion elevates it to my favorite song of theirs. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/2/2160784/-Odds-amp-Ends-News-Humor-with-a-Who-Lost-the-Week-poll Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/