The Thanksgiving week begins today as my brother and sister-in-law arrive today from out of town.Then, tomorrow, my oldest son and his wife arrive. I am so very excited to see them all that this will be my last post until next week.
The first big tradition that will be back in play is Black Friday Record Store Day. If you are a lover of vinyl and special releases of said vinyl then the Record Store Day celebrations are for you. On Friday, there will be many first time. On the Black Friday edition, I am usually looking for the latest Christmas music releases, such as a 7″ Bob & Doug McKenzie (remember them from SCTV from the early Eighties?) of their Christmas classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and a special edition 12″ single of Run-DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”. Plus, there are a couple of special releases that I am looking forward to. Go to http://www.recordstoreday.com to see the full listing of special edition vinyl releases.
Now, as far as Thanksgiving is concerned, I have a tradition of watching three things on TV. First, I always watch the Thanksgiving show of Saturday Night Live from the 1976-77 season in which Paul Simon is the host AND musical guest. This is the famous episode in which Paul Simon wears a Turkey suit while singing “Still Crazy After All These Years.” It is a classic monologue, as is the rest of the show.
Next up for me is the Thanksgiving episode of WKRP in Cincinnati in which the insipid station manager, Mr. Carlson, decides to hold a “top secret” Thanksgiving Day radio station promotion stunt with trusty but inept new director, Les Nesman, and radio advertising salesman Herb Tarlek. What happens is a parody of the Hindenburg crash and much more comedic bedlam. The show should be shown EVERY Thanksgiving on network television. The writing and acting is inspired and cannot be matched by vary many shows in the history of television.
The final TV tradition is something that I share with my boys, and that is to watch The Band’s The Last Waltz. This concert film is directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese that documents The Band’s last concert, which took place on Thanksgiving Day 1977. And, even though none of us really need an excuse to watch the video, and I am thankful for the gift of music that all these terrific musicians have give to us on a daily basis. And this documentary presents a lasting and loving tribute to one of the greatest bands to ever grace a stage. I highly recommend this film to all music lovers, because once you see, and hear, The Band perform “The Weight” with The Staple Singers, you literally get a small glimpse of Heaven.
Now, it’s no longer a holiday without a playlist for said holiday, so here’s my suggestions of a great mix of “soon-to-be-Thanksgiving classics”. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
My Thanksgiving Day Playlist
- Graham Parker – “Almost Thanksgiving” (2004)
- Simon & Garfunkel – “Homeward Bound” (1966)
- Neil Young – “Harvest Moon” (1992)
- Lady Gaga – “Orange Colored Sky” (2011)
- Loudon Wainwright III – “Thanksgiving Day” (1993)
- Phillip Phillips – “Home” (2012)
- Johnny Cash – “I Am a Pilgrim” (2003)
- Louis Armstrong – “What a Wonderful World” (1993)
- Brave Combo – “Thanksgiving Day” (2005)
- Neil Young – “Harvest” (1972)
- The Band – “King Harvest (Surely Has Come)” (1969)
- John Mellencamp – “Check It Out” (1987)
- My Morning Jacket – “Thank You Too” (2008)
- Poi Dog Pondering – “Thanksgiving” (1990)
- Phish – “Farmhouse” (2000)
- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – “Home” (2009)
- Adam Sandler – “Thanksgiving Song” (1993)
- REO Speedwagon – “Flying Turkey Trot (live)” (1976)
- The Drive-By Truckers – “The Thanksgiving Filter (2011)
- Willie Nelson – “The Pilgrim: Chapter 33” (1979)
- Mary Chapin Carpenter – “Thanksgiving Song” (2008)
If My Records Could Talk 