Del Shannon "Early in the Morning"

Been on a massive Everly Brothers and Del Shannon kick of recent.  I keep coming back to possibly my favorite Del Shannon track, "Early in the Morning." This early 70's one hits the sweet spot somewhere between Gene Clark, Vince Martin, Dion, Tim Buckley and Fred Neil. Pure gold. The only way to get this track currently is as an extra on the “The Further Adventures Of Charles Westover” cd reissue which itself is deserving of another write-up. Did Del record a whole lp in this style?

And now I can kick myself for not seeing Del when he was playing around a lot in the 1980’s, including some appearances at the Country Club in Reseda (when Steven Hufsteter from the Quick/Cruzados was in the band – see below), which was also the time Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were working with him (“Drop Down and Get Me”era).



 

Donald Sutherland and Father Yod: The Source Family on Film Part II/Alex in Wonderland (Mazursky, 1970)

Dining on the patio of the Source, Father Yod and Ahom on your left, Donald Sutherland on your right in hippie headband. Paul Mazursky's Alex in Wonderland (1970) is a Fellini homage with Fellini himself in a cameo as well.



Not unlike Renoir's cameo in Frawley's The Christian Licorice Store (1971) though without Tim Buckley. A minor and seldom seen New Hollywood picture, unfortunately there are some painful and cringe inducing agitprop moments that have not aged well. The film does contain a faux military battle on Hollywood Blvd., where one can see that Let It Be was showing at a theater during its filming. Mazursky himself plays a studio exec in the film and Sutherland, as an aspiring first time director, takes a liking to a print on the office wall, a similar scene repeated as Vincent Chase takes a liking to a painting on Ari Gold's office wall in season two of Entourage. If the Source existed today (the restaurant that is), Vinny, Johnny, Turtle and "E" would be dining there. A crtitical examination of Sutherland's 1969-1974 films forthcoming. Below is Buckley's cameo in The Christian Licorice Store. Thanks to Steve for the print.