Lost Classics! Hoyt Axton

Many people may remember Hoyt Axton better as an actor, than as a singer and songwriter.  After all, he made notable appearances in such films as Gremlins and The Black Stallion.  But Axton is most memorable as a musician with successes dating back into the mid-1960s.  He made his biggest noise writing hits for other artists: “Greenback Dollar” for the Kingston Trio (1963); “The Pusher” by Steppenwolf (1968); “The No No Song” for Ringo Starr (1975); and of course, “Joy To The World,” which was a monster hit for Three Dog Night in 1971.

Lost Classics! John Stewart

In the early 1970s, John Stewart was a leading, although unappreciated, practitioner of the country rock movement.  This singer-songwriter with the booming voice actually got his big break when he replaced Dave Guard in the Kingston Trio in 1961.  The Kingston Trio was one of the best-selling folk acts of the early ’60s, and Stewart toured and recorded with them until their breakup in 1967.

Stewart went solo and wrote songs for other people, most notably “Daydream Believer,” a big hit for the Monkees (and later, Anne Murray).  In the early ’70s he signed with RCA and in 1973 recorded Cannons In The Rain, critically acclaimed but not a hit.  Wingless Angels, from 1975, followed a similar pattern.

Can u spare a dime?

Money has always been tight, but these days it’s ridiculous.  My kid is looking at colleges, and I’m looking at loan packages.  I made a real investment the other day; I bought a lottery ticket.  And they’re talking on TV about how things are getting worse.  I’m not going to leap off a tall Wall Street skyscraper just yet,  but now I can see how you come to climb those stairs.  Does anyone really think that voting for one of those two clowns is going to change anything?  Maybe it’s one of those things that will just pass, maybe things will fix themselves.  Maybe those guys up in Washington are just going to make everything worse.  Maybe things will change if, on one work day, everybody just stays in bed.

Well, anyway, here are some songs to get your mind off your money woes.  Ho, ho.

MP3: “Money (That’s What I Want)” by the Flying Lizards

MP3: “If You’ve Got The Money (I’ve Got The Time)” by Lefty Frizzell

MP3: “Greed Is Good” from the movie Wall Street

MP3: “Piggies” by the Beatles

MP3: “For The Love Of Money” by the O’Jays

MP3: “Greenback Dollar” by the Kingston Trio

MP3: “Free Money” by Patti Smith

MP3: “Clean Money” by Elvis Costello

MP3: “The Money Song” by Monty Python’s Flying Circus

MP3: “Money Motivated Movements” by Guilty Simpson

MP3: “Work For Your Money” by Howlin’ Wolf

MP3: “That’s The Way It Goes” by George Harrison

And from YouTube: the infamous “free money” scene from The Magic Christian