Friday, June 15, 2007

History Repeats





Truth be told I think it was Jenny, however when I look back it was probably Nancy because she had the the airplay... I dunno but that was some great music for me in the day...
Posted on Amzaon, years later I discover there are friends of Amazon and someone read this review and found it entertaining, they made me their Amazon friend which made me feel special.I touched a button to make them my friend, why not? Then it all went to shit, them boots were tall enough to walk though the quagmire but I lost my friend who praised my skills as a reviewer...Not a critic, who am I to judge?
Its as good as you remember...Now you might read another five star review and get the straight dope.I have to admit it some of these people really know their stuff.It was the summer of 1969 that my grandfather Oscar T purchased the Nancy Sinatra album and it may have been the only album he ever bought because this was the only album he ever played that summer and for the life of me I could not find an alternative, granted I did not look real hard .This I believe was the same summer Oscar T purchased an electric hedge trimmer with 2- 25' yellow extension cords. A typical day consisted of fishing in his pond, run errands and listen to Paul Harvey on the radio and then back home for a little "boots a walkin'" then chores. I would watch in fascination while he would trim the hedge, not much on TV back then.As fate would have it I inherited the hedge trimmers and extension cords, but not the album. The extension cords were yellow as I mentioned, I was doing laundry today I counted the repairs with black electrical tape where the cord had been damaged or severed by the hedge trimmers, I counted 7 which works out to one repair every 7.142857 etc. feet. I judged it safe nevertheless and trimmed my hedges for a couple of years with the same set up.Until,my neighbor came over and schooled me on the proper way to hold the trimmers so I "would not cut off my fingers", well I tried this and could never get used to the safe style and thus ended my hedge trimming efforts for a couple of years. Finally I realized the bushes were not going to trim themselves and so I decided the abandoned estate look was in, this worked for a while. Finally I tore out the bushes in the front of my house and replanted plants that required little maintenance. This left my side yard bushes, I was so afraid I would cut my fingers off, I went to Lowes and bought a nice pair of scissor style hedge trimmers, I happened upon a friend of mine at the store and he said "you know they sell electric trimmers" but I confessed to him I was afraid I'd cut a finger(s) off , he looked puzzled and I was to flustered to explain. I bought the scissor trimmers and was well pleased with their efficiency, but it was to late, my bushes where to far gone so I sought professional help and he suggested I tear the bush's out and replace with low maintenance plants, I liked his way of thinking,so it was done. I still have the electric trimmer and cord just for nostalgia, and if anyone is looking for a fair deal on scissor style hedge trimmers contact me and we can discuss the particulars. Buy the album its good stuff.

23 Comments:

At 10:05 PM , Blogger The Fool said...

Hi Josh. This one has been covered many, many times...and I'm old enough to remember Nancy's version. My most recent inundation of this song in my household came via my eldest son's punk penchant via Op Ivy (later to become Rancid). He thought it was their tune. Here's a list of some covers for you:

1966 Nancy Sinatra, U.S. #1, UK #1

1966 Lee Hazlewood, the songwriter's own version

1966 Mrs. Miller, on the album Mrs. Miller's Greatest Hits

1966 Jane Morgan, on the album Fresh Flavor

1967 Loretta Lynn, a country version

1969 Symarip, a Reggae version on the album Skinhead Moonstomp

1974 The Residents, avant garde music group, on the album Meet the Residents

1977 Amanda Lear, on the album I Am a Photograph

1978 Nick Cave's first band The Boys Next Door, a new wave version

1982 Paula Yates on the B.E.F. album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume One

1985 Megadeth, on the album Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! — their version was produced more as a parody than as a cover. When the album started selling well, the writer of the song, Lee Hazlewood, began demanding that the song be omitted, due to its being a "perversion of the original". Dave Mustaine made the point that Hazlewood had been paid royalties for years before his complaint, but eventually omitted the song anyway. A censored version of the track can be found on the album's 'deluxe edition' released in 2002. ( sample?)

1989 Operation Ivy, a version titled "One of These Days" from the album Energy

1989 Kon Kan, a dance music remix/remake

1989 Crispin Glover, on the album The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be

1991 Anita Lane and Barry Adamson

1991 Jewel on the album Revolution in Heaven

1992 Billy Ray Cyrus, on the album Some Gave All

1993 LaToya Jackson, on the album From Nashville to You

1995 Boy George, on the album Rareties

1998 Geri Halliwell, formerly of the Spice Girls, for the Rugrats in Paris: The Movie soundtrack

1999 Amanda Lear, on the album Amanda '98 - Follow Me Back in My Arms (Bang! mix)

2000 Sarge, on the album Distant.

2001 French Affair, on the album Desire

2001 KMFDM, on the Boots EP

2002 The Fixx, on the album When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear

2003 Star Academy 3, on the album Fait Sa Bamba

2004 Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, for a bonus feature on the Shrek 2 DVD.

2005 Lil Kim, the theme for the TV show Growing Up Gotti

2005 Little Birdy, on their single "Excited"

2005 Jessica Simpson, for The Dukes of Hazzard soundtrack, U.S. #14. See These Boots Are Made for Walkin' for more information.

2006 Fulham Flurries, on the album It's Only A Game: Hits & Misses From the Crazy World of British Football
2
006 Miss Piggy, a parody called "These Bites Are Made For Poppin", sung for a Pizza Hut commercial.

2006 Yuna Ito, a single in Japan for a Daihatsu commercial

:)

 
At 2:15 AM , Blogger josh williams said...

Fool: What I need to do is get off me arse and review each and every cover of this classic, thanks for the list I have quite the task ahead of me...Come to think of it Jenny C Riley did "Harper Valley PTA" I could have sworn she did the boots song as well, this may have been my grandfathers other albumn, it was a long time ago, and looking at your list it would have been 66 or 67 when my grandfather purchased the hedge trimmers and Nancy Sinatra album...It seems like only yeseterday, vague and confused. Thanks for the list, I am glad it struck a cord....JW

 
At 7:26 AM , Blogger Zen Wizard said...

I kept waiting for this to segue into an anecdote about how you shaved Jeannie C. Riley's bush in 1969, but needless to say I was disappointed.

Speaking of Amazons, what about Julie Newmar? She really held my attention in Demetrius and the Gladiators, until Victor Mature took his shirt off.

P.s.--I'm glad Boy George's version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" remains a "Rarity." The nation suffered enough with Billy Ray Cyrus' version.

Jessica Simpson should re-release it as "These Boots Are Made for Stalkin'" and dedicate it to John Mayer.

 
At 7:38 AM , Blogger josh williams said...

zen: Yes those hedge trimmers had a special setting for pub...Harpee Valley PTA...She was ahead of her time when it came to grooming, especially allowing a 7 year old boy with hedge trimmers. Yes sometimes I may believe in a higher power when Boy George and Billy Ray drift into obscurity.

 
At 9:37 AM , Blogger jungle jane said...

Josh, could you please write a review on the hedge trimmers? I'm not just going to buy them because you view them with nostalgia. Do they trim muff? Can i carve a roast with them? Are they good for mass murder? Do they come with a blade sharpener?

Its not like you to be lazy, Josh. I am really quite surprised.

 
At 10:46 AM , Blogger josh williams said...

Jane: They do all this and more. These is the best hedge trimmers around they are orange and the extention cord is yellow, 2 of them 25' long each. Its no so much that I am lazy Jane its just I like to be doing things with my time besides trimming hedges, stuff like chillin'.

 
At 9:43 AM , Blogger jungle jane said...

So. Have you actually witnessed any muff trimming with these shears Josh? or were you too busy "chilling" to take note?

 
At 10:05 AM , Blogger josh williams said...

Jane: It was dark so I cannot really say I have witnessed. Please do not mock my chillin'. Chillin' aint easy.

 
At 2:25 PM , Blogger Lee Ann said...

have a great week Josh!

 
At 3:02 PM , Blogger josh williams said...

leeann: Thanks and right back at ya.

 
At 3:07 AM , Blogger Mone said...

I think I could need the hedge trimmer to harvest my weed plants. How much are you asking for it?

 
At 3:56 AM , Blogger josh williams said...

Mone: Three easy payments of eleventy , plus shipping and handling.

 
At 4:26 AM , Blogger Erin O'Brien said...

I need to make the Erin O'Brien cover. Hell, I've already got the boots.

 
At 7:21 AM , Blogger Zen Wizard said...

Well, at least if you flirt with Jeannie C. Riley on HER MySpace page, Chris Hansen won't be there when you show up at her house.

 
At 1:03 PM , Blogger Toby said...

I remember ducks in some hedges in your yard. Are you/were you bluffing us Josh?

 
At 3:06 PM , Blogger josh williams said...

Erin: Can you sing? Will you sing? does the goat like it when you sing?

Zen: You are hired,I dont pay but your research is damn good. High marks my man, thankee!

Toby: I was not and am not fibbing, the ducks where underneath a pine tree in my front yard (which is dieing of some sort of blight) why would I make up a story about ducklings? The hedge trimmers I swear to beer it is as close to the truth as my memory can ...remember,no fibbin'...The duck disappeared and the eggs were all broken , I would guess Racoons.

 
At 3:37 PM , Blogger josh williams said...

Zen:I looked up Chris Hansen I watched one of those episodes on pedofiles. I'd like to see the outtakes where they bitch slap the perp and then tell him about how he is going to make a great wife in the slammer.

 
At 5:58 PM , Blogger jillie said...

I too remember when Nancy's version came out...YIKES!

I saw your reply at ~d's and just wanted to see what "uranus" looked like...lol! Sorry...couldn't resist.

 
At 7:19 PM , Blogger josh williams said...

Jillie: Thank you for stopping by and no I cannot blame you...I would have done the same or worse...JW

 
At 4:12 AM , Blogger Mone said...

josh, how can I put a pic from travels with roscoe in my sidebar too? I have no idea!
help please!
If you want to, you can write to me under headlost@gmx.net
Thanx Mone

 
At 6:24 PM , Blogger Mom! Toilets blogged! said...

Jesus..... Here's some advice Josh, take the hedge trimmers and hold them against your throat, wiggle the extention cord until it sparks and cuts your neck veins open.
Or, if I come back here, please hold the hedge trimmers to my neck and cut off my head, I won't be needing it here.
Mone had the only good idea, promote Roscoe!
Mom

 
At 6:41 PM , Blogger josh williams said...

Toilets: If you cannot say anything nice...FYI I think our friend sleekpelt may be putting a blurb about Roscoe available as a PDF...So I am not asleep at the wheel. I am saddened that you question my ability as a publicist, Roscoe and I have been working together to obtain a patent, copyright and all other various and sundry license's for monkeys, chimpanzees etc. We can then cash in on everyone using Monkey's and litrature relating to monkeys amoung other things. Do not underestimate me , I work even when it appears I am not....Thank you for your efforts Mr Sleekpelt and to you Mr Toilets for your constructive critisism. I am not certain but on Racer X under the Racerhead page there may be another plug (soon)for Roscoe and the pdf, this is not written in stone...Racerxill.com...they good people.

Mone: Thanks, you the best.

 
At 3:11 PM , Blogger Toby said...

I don't fall back behind an agnecy with only 3 letters, really I don't. Who was the neighbor? The wanted guy from across the way? Or was it one of the ducks, or duck babies. Maybe a Raccoon? Josh, your story isn't washing. And I'm the good cop.

 

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