© Art Kane, 1967, Aretha Franklin, “Halos”, Esquire Magazine
Wanting to highlight her strong Gospel roots, Art Kane tried waving the camera in a circular motion to try to make halo shapes from the light in Aretha’s eyes. This photo is also a rare, Art Kane crop, as virtually all his images are composed in full frame.
[Found here.]
All of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits. Just like they were meant to be.
The Temptations’ 1970 hit “Ball of Confusion” has one of the best lines ever: “Vote For Me and I’ll Set You Free.” [via SADM].
According to Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, the top artists of 1970 were Neil Diamond and Aretha Franklin. Let’s go with some Aretha:
Aretha Franklin is an American classic. Here she is backed up by King Curtis.
Here’s King Curtis & The Kingpins. The description attached to this vid from the Utoobage: “The only band that could make Booker T & The MG’s sweat.”
Proof that Booker T & the MGs didn’t sweat. With that, have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow.
The latest gimmick to hit the market just in time for Halloween: The First Lady Action Figure. It is being heralded as the first toy in the likeness of Michelle Obama. WRONG.
I like to boil things down to their essence, and the toy on the right gets my vote for Toy of the Year, especially with the photoshopoopage of the photo on the left. Those proportions just aren’t right, even for Barbie.
In context, the toy on the right is immediately recobanizeable as The First Lady in all her glory, just as Aretha Franklin and Barbara and George Bush were similarly memoribalised below:
Here at TR, our crack team of webminers previously posted Lego’s Contribution for the adulation of the devout: a full landscape model of THE INAUGURATION. It’s awesome.
But Michelle’s action figure is still not as awesome as this one.
Levi Stubbs & the Four Tops, on the American TV show Hullabaloo, singing “Just Walk Away.”
From the Wikipoodle:
“Levi Stubbs was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the famed Motown R&B group The Four Tops.”
From Billboard’s Top Pop Singles:
“R&B vocal group from Detroit formed in 1953 as the Four Aims. Consisted of Levi Stubbs (lead singer), Renaldo ‘Obie’ Benson, Lawrence Payton, and Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir. First recorded for Chess in 1956, then Red Top and Columbia, before signing with Motown in 1963. Stubbs was the voice of Audrey II (the voracious vegetation) in the 1986 movie ‘The Little Shop of Horrors.’”
Besides being a cousin to Jackie Wilson(!) Stubbs was also the voice of Audrey II in “Little Shop of Horrors.” I never made that connection until today.
Aretha Franklin’s tribute to Levi Stubbs, after his stroke and during his fight with cancer. Hard to watch.
RIP, Mr. Stubbles.
Right Click For The Tacky Map!
We’re all Fuldkommen Gak now.
