Monday, December 28, 2009

Come Monday...Eddie and The Cruisers

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of, or commentary about, websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time. Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.” This is subject to change, however. In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while. For rants promote change, and change can be good—right? Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).
A few weeks ago, I posted a piece about [Streets of Fire], which is one of my all-time favorite movies. [Michael Pare] played the lead role of a brooding hero, who comes through to save the heroine, who was played to the hilt by the luscious [Diane Lane].

This piece about [Eddie and The Cruisers], which is another Michael Pare movie where he plays basically the same role. Well, at least in the sequel he comes through to save the day. For in the first movie, he just does a lot of brooding, and then disappears without a trace.



Link: [On YouTube]

No, Eddie and The Cruisers is not one of my favorite movies. It does, however, feature some great music—including one of the best songs ever recorded (in my most humble opinion).

The song is On The Dark Side, and it was actually performed by [John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band] . It starts soft and slow, and then kicks you right in the face, which is the way I like it—as long I am the one doing the kicking, of course.


Link: [On YouTube]

On The Dark Side
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

The dark side’s callin’ now
Nothin’ is real

She’ll never know
Just I how I feel

From out of the shadows
She walks like a dream

Makes me feel crazy
Makes me feel so mean

Ain’t nothin’ gonna save you
From a love that’s blind
Slip to the dark side
You cross that line

On the dark side

Oh yeah

On the dark side

Oh yeah

The dark side’s callin’ now
Nothin’ is real

She’ll never know
Just I how I feel

From out of the shadows
She walks like a dream

Makes me feel crazy
Makes me feel so mean

Ain’t nothin’ gonna save you
From a love that’s blind
Slip to the dark side
You cross that line

On the dark side

Oh yeah

On the dark side

Oh yeah

Ain’t nothin’ gonna save you
From a love that’s blind
Slip to the dark side
You cross that line

On the dark side

Oh yeah

On the dark side

Oh yeah

On the dark side

Oh yeah

On the dark side

Oh yeah

Lyrics From: [elyrics.net]

Another great song featured in the movie is Tender Years, which is also performed by Cafferty and his band. Some of you on the more old foggie side of life might actually like this song better. For it may hark back memories of slow dancin’ with your sweetie down under the boardwalk or something like that.

Now, for someone like [Crotchety], it would probably bring back memories of bumpin’ uglies in some dark alley down in the heart of Newark, and I don’t even want to think about what memories might come to [Chuck’s] mind. For the sake of my own life and limbs, any speculations about what might float through the very pretty heads of [Lin], [Ann] and [Katherine] will be left alone.


Link: [On YouTube]

Tender Years
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

When the moon hung soft and low
Catchin’ stardust in the light
You held me closer and closer
There was magic in the night

A sweet love song
A melody that I still can recall
Two young hearts filled with dreams
To walk away with it all

Whoa
Whoa
Tender years
Won’t you wash away my tears
How I wish you were near
Please don’t go
Tender years

A summer love
A beach romance
Sought her kisses in the sand
Two young hearts filled with fire
Lost in never never land

Whoa
Whoa
Tender years
Won’t you wash away my tears
How I wish you were near
Please don’t go
Tender years

Whoa
Whoa
Tender years
Won’t you wash away my tears
How I wish you were near
Please don’t go
Tender years

Lyrics From: [elyrics.net]

As was mentioned before, there was a sequel to Eddie and The Cruisers. The name of that movie is [Eddie and The Cruisers II – Eddie Lives!], and it is a much better movie—all in all.

Yes, Michael Pare was as brooding as ever, but that fit the plot perfectly. For the storyline was about him living his life incognito while being fully aware of all of the speculations concerning his possible death and haunted by what could have been if things had of went his way in the first movie.

Of course, if it had of went his way in the first movie, there would have been no need for a sequel. So, it was actually good that things went so bad before.

To make a fairly long story somewhat shorter, in the first movie, Eddie (Michael Pare) wanted to take the band in a new direction musically, and the powers that were at the record company refused to release Season In Hell, which is what Eddie considered to be his finest work.


Link: [On YouTube]

Season In Hell
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

See the writing on the wall
I think I was bound to fall
Voices whisper in the wind
I can hear them callin’
Love is the fire burnin’
And I want to burn

Darkest now before the dawn
Times we’ve known will soon be gone
Flames of freedom fill the air
I can hear them callin’
Love is the fire burnin’
And I want to burn

Fire

Fire

Love is the fire burnin’
And I want to burn

Fire

Fire

Love is the fire burnin’
And I want to burn

Lyrics From: [Lyrics Keeper]

I actually liked the song. So, I don’t know what those idiots were thinking, but since it was probably a part of the script, I suppose I should give them the benefit of the doubt.

Evidently, that was something that Eddie couldn’t do. For the first movie pretty much ended with him driving his car off of a Jersey pier into the Atlantic Ocean.

Yes, it went on and on after that with members of his band scrambling around full of disbelief, and their manager setting the stage for himself to land a prominent role on [The Sopranos] later on. It was good for [Joe Pantoliano], but it was very bad for the movie (again, in my most humble opinion).

The sequel was much more to my liking. For it started out with our hero working in construction until he jumps on the stage of some hole-in-the-wall bar to show the lead guitarist of the band that was trying to serve as the entertainment for the evening how to play a song that people could actually enjoy listening to.

The sax player in the band recognized who he really was, but our hero refused to admit that he really was Eddie Wilson until much later in the movie. The first one he told was [Marina Orsini], whom he had become romantically entangled with in a very hot and heavy sense, and she was quite reluctant to believe it, which just added to the drama.

Also adding to the drama of the sequel were multiple flashbacks of the first movie, and several of the character from the first one had roles to play in the sequel. Although I was disappointed that [Tom Berenger] did not reprise his role as the keyboard player in the sequel, a very emotional reunion with [Matthew Laurance], who played the bass player and Eddie’s best friend in the first movie, did bring a tear to my eye. (Stop laughing [Adullamite]!)

In the end, Eddie’s new band won a spot as the opening act at a huge concert being held in Montreal, QE, and it was on that stage where Eddie announced to the world that he was indeed still alive. John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band reprised their roles as being the ones who actually performed the songs in the sequel, and Through The Fire is not bad at all.


Link: [On YouTube]

Runnin’ Through The Fire
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

I got smokestack lightnin’
Runnin’ through my veins
Trouble hangin’ ‘round my neck
It’s like a ball and chain

Gotta be more than this to bein’ alive
Every day spittin’ out nine to five
Every night runnin’ all over this town
Comin’ home feelin’ no pain

I got a hunger and a cold desire
Someday it’s gonna take me higher
Just another small flame
Just runnin’ through the fire
Just another small flame
Just runnin’ through the fire

Runnin’ through the fire
Baby it’s gonna get hot
Runnin’ through the fire
Honey if you’re ready or not
Runnin’ through the fire
Honey no way you turn
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby you’re gonna get burned

I’m rollin’ down the alleyway
Headin’ for the neon lights
I got a soul full of strugglin’
Need a little mercy tonight

This world’s askin’ just a little too much
Honey I need a lovin’ tender touch
Just move your body close to mine
Make everything all right

I got a hunger and a cold desire
Someday it’s gonna take me higher
Just another small flame
Just runnin’ through the fire
Just another small flame
Just runnin’ through the fire

Runnin’ through the fire
Baby it’s gonna get hot
Runnin’ through the fire
Honey if you’re ready or not
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby no way you turn
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby you’re gonna get burned

Runnin’ through the fire
Baby it’s gonna get hot
Runnin’ through the fire
Honey if you’re ready or not
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby no way you turn
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby you’re gonna get burned

Runnin’ through the fire
Baby it’s gonna get hot
Runnin’ through the fire
Honey if you’re ready or not
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby no way you turn
Runnin’ through the fire
Baby you’re gonna get burned

Lyrics From: [elyrics.net]

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2 comments:

  1. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band put a pretty darn good show. I saw them at the Bangor State Fair in Bangor, Maine a while back. You gotta dig the tunes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Frye!!! I can't believe that they are not better known. By the way, did you get on the wrong exit off of I-435 and wound up in Bangor? It is a town that I really wanted to see while I was truckin' here, there and everywhere in between (thanks to C.W. McCall), and I actually got to deliver a load up there back in the late 80's (I think).

    ReplyDelete

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