Midnight At The Oasis by Maria Muldar

I remember when the song came out in 1973, the lyrics were quite controversial. I was fifteen at the time and the soft porn lyrics coming from the radio was of course enjoyed by any teenage boy. It raised an eyebrow in my home, but it was quickly shrugged off. But the song just had a nice flow to it and brings me back to those times.

At age 30, Maria’s marriage to her musician partner and husband Geoff Muldar was coming to an end. She played with a couple of bands in the 1960’s. Now, she was expecting to be waitressing to support her and her seven year old daughter their hometown of Woodstock, New York.

In 1973 Maria Muldar was looking for one more song to complete her newest album. In a Something Else interview Maria was quoted as saying “While recording the album, Muldaur had no desire for pop stardom or a Rolling Stone cover “but it just happened to me,” she tells us. “I just collected a bunch of songs that I knew and liked. I was just following my bliss. Pop stardom and fame never really interested me, but this success was a blessing. It has allowed me to support myself and continue my 50-year-plus odyssey through various parts of American roots music.”

Asked if she still enjoys playing the same song for almost fifty years she said she does. She really enjoys seeing the audience faces light up as the song begins. In an article on Songfacts she said “Reason number two is I love the look of the faces of the audience when the band strikes that number up, when the band goes into the intro of that number. Because apparently, from all the stories that have been told to me when I meet my fans after the show to sign my CD, that song was the soundtrack to many a love-and-lust affair, and if I had been writing down all the stories of what people tell me they were doing or were inspired to do because of that song, or as that song was playing, I could have written quite the little x-rated book. So when I start that song, people’s faces light up and I see very happy, maybe slightly x-rated memories flitting across their faces.”

Although it was a one hit song for her, the song tends to evoke some strong memories. I told you my memories from the song. What are your yours?

Here is an early live performance. I like how she improvises from the studio release:

Here is a later version uploaded to Youtube in 2011. A little more jazzy!

He Should Be As Famous As Edison

Most of the things you use today Nick Holonyak Jr. had a hand in it. We all know Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but who invented the LED light bulb? Nick Holonyak Jr. is receiving the credit for that energy saving device. Your TV, computer and phone screen are more than likely LED. Although the LED was around for a while, Holonyak made the first visible light from and LED and credited as the father of the LED light.

Holonyak won two Nobel Prizes. The first for co-inventing the transistor and the second one for explaining superconductivity (Google that one). He holds 30 patents. “His work is responsible for the technology used to develop red lasers in CD and DVD players, the ability to transmit information over the Internet, and applications in replacing conventional lighting with LEDs. Holonyak also created the basic electronic element of household light dimmer switches” (see https://www.invent.org/inductees/nick-holonyak-jr).

At the time of this writing (May 2022) he is still with us and enjoying retirement at the age of 93.

To learn more about his of course Google him or see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Holonyak

https://mntl.illinois.edu/ssdl

https://mntl.illinois.edu/ssdl

Easter Kodak Moments

Kodak, the memory keeper. Birthdays, weddings, Easter, you name it Kodak preserved our memories. I don’t miss waiting a week to see if I correctly captured the image! This ad was from 1950. Those images taken from the Brownie Camera was due to the large film format. It was the same film size most professional photographers used until digital photography took over.

Kodak Instant Camera Commercial

In 1976 Kodak introduced their instant camera that turned out to violate a number of Polaroid patents. A lawsuit was filed in 1981 and settled in 1986, the same year Kodak invented the megapixel sensor which helped make digital photography and their demise possible.

I’m sure people today would freak out with the “clown” style make up in this commercial.

https://www.theretrosite.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/kodak-instant-camera.mp4

Alfalfa Shot To Death Over $50

Carl Dean Switzer also know as Alfalfa in the series Our Gang was one of the earlier actors who were type casted and unable to find work after being a child star when his run with Our Gang ended in 1940 at the ripe old age of twelve. He did turn to television and had some luck with the Roy Rogers and a few other television shows. Switzer also trained hunting dogs and guided hunting expeditions. It was over $50 for the reward for the return of one of his dogs that caused an argument that lead to his death. The shooting was judged to be self defense as Switzer pounded on the shooters door demanding to be let in. 42 years later n 2001 a witness came forward saying it was more like a murder (see Wikipedia for the full story).

Classical Music Commercial

If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s you probably have all these songs committed to memory. The 120 Music Masterpiece collection was first offered by Time/Life and then to Vista Marketing which you can heard dubbed in in this commercial. It is said that this is longest running commercial in TV history which ran from 1971 to 1984, mostly during daytime TV on local stations. John Williams was the actor in this commercial which ran longer than he did, he passed in 1983. You might remember Williams in Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder. He was also the original Mr. French in Family Affair in the opening season of 1967.

For many of us, this was our education in classical music. I can remember each song in memory and what song was next.

https://www.theretrosite.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/classical.mp4

True Story of Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne”

One of my “fondest” songs to end the year with is Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg released in 1975. This song hits home with anyone who ran into an old flame some where years later. Fogelberg is as good a story teller in his songs as Harry Chapin. As he sings each line the listener can visualize the scene in their mind. This song is based is based in fact of an encounter he had while looking for whipped cream on New Years Eve for his Irish Coffee and his old lover from an on again, off again relationship meet in a convenience store and reminisced over a six pack of beer in his car.

I was going to do an in depth report on this relationship that revealed who his old lover was. While doing research about this song and relationship I came across this video which did an outstanding job explaining it along with a visit to that convenience store and then to Folgerberg tributes in his hometown. Excellent video Kyle from the Track X Track channel on Youtube! Thanks for your work on this!

Vavoom From Felix The Cat

I was in a restaurant with my wife celebrating our anniversary and there was a table with kids. All were well mannered but one kid was just so loud I said he reminded me of the cartoon character Vavoom which gave me the inspiration for this post.

Vavoom was an Inuit (Alaskan indigenous person) on the Felix the Cat cartoon who used his voice to get them out of situations, like blasting rocks away in this video.

I grew up watching Felix The Cat on the Saturday morning cartoons. Surprisingly Felix The Cat only ran from 1958 to 1960 for a total of 126 episodes. CBS revived in the 90’s from 1995 to 1997 under the name The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat for just 21 episodes.

Did you ever give someone the nickname Vavoom. Please tell!

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