Scott Walker

Entitled, "Scott Walker 1969 with Razmus, his then 12 week old Saint Bernard."
Photo by Chris Walter courtesy of http://www.photofeatures.com/

Snoopy Rocks

Novelty records may be a thing of the past but I have fond memories of The Royal Guardsmen's pop classic, "Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron". The Ocala, FL band, influenced by the popular Charles Shultz Peanuts comic stip, loved its light-hearted and philosophical edge. The band created tunes featuring on Snoopy's World War I aerial dog fighting ace, Baron Von Richthofen, on top of his Sopwith Camel (doghouse) biplane. The title track sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and reached the number two spot on the Bill board charts.

The band revisited the flying ace with additional titles including: "The Return of the Red Baron", "Snoopy and His Friends", and "Snoopy's Christmas". The album's charted on the Billboard's Top 40 charts and the band celebrated their brief pop fame that spanned from 1966 to 1968.

Original band members, Chris Nunley (vocals), Barry Winslow (vocals, guitar), Tom Richards (guitar), Bill Balough (bass), and John Burdette (drums), tried to continue to cash in on Snoopy, with their final 1968 release, "Snoopy for President", whose original pressings included a spoken introduction by "The Red Baron", mentioning the 1968 presidential candidates. Days after the record's release, Bobby Kennedy assassination prompted an edited version with the spoken introduction removed. The band's novelty wore off, and they disbanded in 1969.

Cat Loves Dogs

Cat Stevens introduced himself to the pop world in 1966, with is first hit single, "I Love My Dog," with these fabulous words of wisdom.

I love my dog as much as I love you

But you may fade, my dog will always come through.

Reaching #27 on the British charts, the tune paved the way for Cat's early sound that was heavily influenced by pop bands, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, in combination with the folk influences of Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon. Introduced through Cat's brother David, The Springfields own Mike Hurst, encouraged Cat's original spare arrangement of the single to add a staccato, tympani-and viola arrangement to the basic guitar, piano and vocal tracks played by Cat. Not only revolutionizing a new type of Pop sound never heard before, but introducing England to a masterful singer-song-writer and performer.

The Reason to (Rescue) Yourself a Dog

I'm Gonna Buy Me a Dog

Music/Lyrics by Boyce & Hart

Now? You know my girl...now? You know my girl just called my up

And she woke my from my sleep. *Snores*

You should have heard the things she said

You know she hurt my feelings deep.

I'm gonna buy me a dog.

A dog? 

A dog. 

Why? 

Why?

'Cause I need a friend now.

Babe, you need all the friends you can get!

I'm gonna buy me a dog,

My girl, my girl, don't love me no how. 

Don't riun my song man. It's the only song I have. 

It was ruined when it was wrote. 

Uh, where's the verse?

She used to bring me my, my newspaper 

You don't even know where it's at!

'Cause she knew where it was at.

She used to keep me so contented,

But I can teach a dog to do that.

I'm gonna buy me a dog. 

You couldn't teach a dog to do that. You can only train elephants.

'Cause I need a friend now. 

I need a friend now! 

Now! 

Yeah!

I'm gonna buy me a dog. 

A dog. Here Rover, Fido, Spot! 

Here boy! *Whistle*

Last song, side 2, on the 1966 debut release of, "The Monkees."

Dog Eat Dog

"Well, 'Dog Eat Dog,' for instance, had a large canvas, 10-foot-by-5, all dogs, God dog, Jesus dog, you know, and racial dogs in conflict and so on. I sold that painting in Tokyo. Geffen told me that, "Okay, Joan, we know you're an artist, but stick your picture on the cover." So I did a kind of a collage being attacked by wild dogs, you know, and that was fun to do. So there were really two album covers for that. But he (David Geffen) wanted my kisser on the cover, so I had to give it to him (laughs). The patron, the great patron, spoke." - Joni Mitchell

(from an interview on KSCA by NA 1994)