In my last blog (or is it blob?) I told the story of how when I was a kid, I invented a rock star named Bob Calls. Don't ask me where I got the name from! According to the album covers I drew for him he must have been based in Ottawa because they all say "Recorded in Ottawa" right above the "Living Stereo" label.
I went on to talk about how much fun it would be to be Mr. Calls himself. I could wear different clothes, talk differently, comb my hair differently (although nowadays my hair is starting to look like his!)
The folks who have read my blog seemed to think it was a good idea. You know, take some of Bob's imaginary song titles, write the songs and call it Bob Calls greatest hits. One person suggested calling (!) it "For Whom the Bob Calls"! What a great title!
So what would Bob look like? What about his music? I'm looking at three hand-drawn album covers (circa 1969). Bob is pictured in all of them wearing a funky suit and tie. He's also wearing bell-bottom pants and Cuban heels. Bob is playing an incredibly long necked electric guitar plugged into a Vox amp. Hovering above the amp is a cash register and a floating dollar bill. Scattered thoughout is a flower, a palm tree and other loopy shapes. In order to establish the hierarchy Bob is pictured full-figure while his bandmates are shown in little windows to the left of Mr. Calls. The cash register must have meant that Bob was only in it for the money.......
It's an album cover reminiscent of Dean Martin, Buck Owens or Glen Campbell. The artist is featured front and centre with a smattering of "hit" song titles.
What are some of Bob's hits? "Monsoon Blues", "Charity Man", "Cattanooga Cats" and "Peace". Hmm, not bad. I wonder if my younger self was trying to tell me something.
Which one should I start with? I like "Monsoon Blues" but "Peace" might be quite timely? What do you think? Let me know!