Seventy Substacks
Fire and Rain, Dutch Garden, Pablo Cruise, Joel Embiid and Luka Dončić, Cushioned Caddy
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue includes my favorite British bands of the 70s, a musical history of 1970, a $70 lunch, a 70s band with a song for watery times, two basketball stars who scored 70+ points recently, and a plush ride. I hope you like the picks and pics.
Last year I turned 70. The last issue was the 70th Fave Five, so the theme is 70.
We had a wee bit of rain in Santa Barbara recently. I have enlisted a song from the 70s to let people know how we are faring during these downpours. Check out the first 20 seconds of the first video in the Marvelous Musicians section below.
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Fave Five 71: Seventy Substacks
Music Memories (Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970), Schnitzel and Sausage (Dutch Garden), San Francisco Soft Rock (Pablo Cruise), Scored Seventy (Joel Embiid and Luka Dončić), and a Cushioned Caddy.
Fave Five List: Favorite British Bands of the 70s
Fleetwood Mac (British-American)
Book Best Bet
Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 by David Browne
I met David Westin during my daily walks around the ship during the Cayamo music cruise, and we became good friends. He lent me this book when Barb and I visited him and his wife Traci to attend Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que in 2019 in Augusta, Georgia.
1970 was a pivotal year for me; I moved from New Jersey to Missouri right before my senior year of high school. I am a fan of all four of the musical subjects of the book, and I found it enlightening.
From Amazon: Set against a backdrop of world-changing historical and political events, Fire and Rain tells the extraordinary story of one pivotal year in the lives and music of four legendary artists and reveals how these artists and their songs both shaped and reflected their times. Drawing on interviews, rare recordings, and newly discovered documents, acclaimed journalist David Browne allows us to see and to hear the elusive moment when the '60s became the '70s in a completely fresh way.
David Browne is a Senior Writer at Rolling Stone, where he contributes deep-dive reports, reviews and profiles on music. He is also the author of seven books, including biographies of Sonic Youth, Jeff Buckley, the Grateful Dead, and, most recently Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: The Wild, Definitive Saga of Rock's Greatest Supergroup.
Restaurant Recommendation
Dutch Garden 4203 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93110
This restaurant caught my eye during local walks. It’s about a mile from our rental condo, so Barb and I strolled over there for lunch. We managed to score two seats at the popular counter where I have seen many happy people dining.
Barb ordered the Schnitzel Plate. It was a large portion, which allowed me to have a small taste.
I had the sausage special, which was the Käse Krainer Sausage Plate. The sausage was stuffed with cheese and the sides were delicious.
For dessert, we shared a German Chocolate Cupcake.
The check was over $70 before tip, but we decided it was well worth it.
Marvelous Musicians
My brother-in-law Buzz Hayes turned me on to the band. I bought the Worlds Away LP in 1978 for the songs "Love Will Find a Way," "Don't Want to Live Without It," and "I Go to Rio." Current vocalist Robbie Wyckoff (originally from Traverse City, Michigan) has recorded and performed with my brother David, including this cover of Aja by Steely Dan.
From Wikipedia: Pablo Cruise is an American pop/rock band from San Francisco currently composed of David Jenkins (guitar and vocals), Cory Lerios (keyboards and vocals), Sergio Gonzalez (drums), Larry Antonino (bass and vocals) and Robbie Wyckoff (vocals and percussion). Formed in 1973, the band released eight studio albums over the next decade, during which time five singles reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The group underwent several personnel changes and split up in 1986. The original lineup—Jenkins, Lerios, Price and Bud Cockrell—reunited briefly in 2004, and the group continues to tour today with two out of the original four members present.
Pablo Cruise began in San Francisco, in 1973, with former members of Stoneground (Cory Lerios on keyboards and vocals, David Jenkins as vocalist and on guitar and Steve Price on drums) and It's a Beautiful Day (Bud Cockrell on bass and vocals). Lerios had formed a band, Together, while at Palo Alto High School. His classmate, Steve Price, signed on as a roadie (because he owned a van), then joined the group on drums when their drummer left. They were eventually to find their way into Stoneground, where they were joined by Jenkins (originally from Ypsilanti, Michigan).
Initially, many fans assumed that Pablo Cruise was the name of one of the members of the band. When asked the question, the band, which is a quartet, would answer, "He's the guy in the middle." When asked what Pablo Cruise meant, the band would say that "Pablo represents an honest, real, down- to-earth individual; and Cruise depicts his fun-loving and easygoing attitude towards life."
With the help of their new manager, Bob Brown (who would later steer Huey Lewis and the News to stardom), the band signed to A&M Records and released its first album in May 1975, a minor success self-titled Pablo Cruise, and their second album in March 1976, titled Lifeline. Their second album achieved slightly greater success than their first, but still only managed to chart at No. 139 in the United States. The instrumental "Zero to Sixty in Five" from Lifeline was used as theme music for various sports television shows. That success encouraged the band to try their hand at more film and TV scoring.
1977's A Place in the Sun was the turning point in the band's career, as they finally entered the mainstream music scene with hit singles "Whatcha Gonna Do?" (No. 6) and the title track "A Place in the Sun" (No. 42), the album peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.
In the middle of 1977, Bud Cockrell left to form a duo with his wife and former It's a Beautiful Day bandmate, Pattie Santos, and was replaced by Bruce Day (who had played in a band with Carlos Santana before his Santana days).
Day's first album with the band was the RIAA platinum-selling 1978 album Worlds Away, which spawned the hits "Love Will Find a Way" and "Don't Want to Live Without It". It also featured a cover of Australian singer-songwriter Peter Allen's hit single "I Go to Rio" and the follow-up album was 1979's Part of the Game that spawned the hit "I Want You Tonight". Also that year, Pablo Cruise contributed the song "Reach For The Top" to the movie Dreamer and the following year, they placed "What've You Got To Lose" with the film Inside Moves.
I Go To Rio (Extended version with watery intro)
Worlds Away
Don't Want To Live Without It
My Playlist
Sports Stars
70-Point Scorers: Joel Embiid and Luka Dončić
On January 22, 2024, Joel Embiid scored 70 points. Four days later, on January 26, 2024, Luka Dončić topped that with 73.
Joel Embiid drops 70, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's 76ers record by Tim Bontemps of ESPN on January 22, 2024
Embiid finished with 70 points, 18 rebounds and 5 assists, a line that has never happened in NBA history before Monday's game, according to ESPN's Stats & Information.
Embiid was 24-for-41 from the field and 21-for-23 from the foul line, eventually reaching 70 points when he went coast to coast for a layup over multiple defenders with 1:41 remaining. He also had a season-high 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and just 1 turnover in 36 minutes.
Embiid had 24 points in the first quarter, 34 in the first half and 59 — matching his prior career high, set last season at home against the Utah Jazz — after three quarters, when he closed the third with a step back 3-pointer.
From Wikipedia: Joel Hans Embiid (born March 16, 1994 in Yaoundé, Cameroon) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who also holds French and American citizenship. After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted third overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA draft. The 7-foot Embiid is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time member of the All-NBA Team and a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2023.
Multiple foot and knee injuries delayed Embiid's debut for two seasons until 2016–17, when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team despite playing only 31 games. He has nicknamed himself "the Process" in response to a refrain from 76ers fans during the Sam Hinkie era to "trust the process". Embiid led the NBA in scoring during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, becoming the first center to do so since Shaquille O'Neal (2000), and was also the first center since Moses Malone (1982) to average over 30 points per game, while also being the first foreign player to lead the NBA in scoring.
Every Point from Joel's 70-point Performance! 😲
Mavs' Luka Doncic dazzles with 73, tied for 4th in NBA history by ESPN on January 26, 2024
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic had a night to remember Friday, lighting up State Farm Arena for a career-high 73 points in a 148-143 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks.
It marked the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season, passing the 70-point performance by Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. It also tied Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-highest output in NBA history. Chamberlain, who owns the NBA record with 100 points, also had a 78-point outing, while Kobe Bryant finished with 81 points on Jan. 22, 2006.
Doncic's epic night included 41 points at halftime, which broke Dirk Nowitzki's franchise record for points in a half. He reached 57 by the end of the third quarter then opened the fourth with eight straight points.
Doncic scored 23 points in the second quarter after opening with 18 in the first. He finished 25-of-33 from the field, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range, and converted 15 of 16 free throws.
Doncic also had 10 rebounds and seven assists. He became the fifth NBA player with at least 70 points and 10 rebounds in a contest, joining Chamberlain (who did it six times), Elgin Baylor, David Robinson and Embiid, who did it Monday. With the assists, no one in NBA history had as many points, rebounds and assists in a game as Doncic did Friday.
From Wikipedia: Luka Dončić (born February 28, 1999 in Ljubljana, Slovenia) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also plays for the Slovenia national team and is regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time.
Born in Ljubljana, Dončić shone as a youth player for Union Olimpija before joining the youth academy of Real Madrid. In 2015 he made his debut for the academy's senior team at age 16, becoming the youngest in club history. He led Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title, winning the EuroLeague MVP and the Final Four MVP. Dončić was named the ACB Most Valuable Player and won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player awards. In addition, he was selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.
In 2018, Dončić declared for the NBA draft, where he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He was selected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season. In his next four seasons, he was selected to the NBA All-Star game and named to the All-NBA First Team. He is the Mavericks' franchise leader in career triple-doubles.
Every Point from Luka's 73-point Performance! 🔥
Picture Pun
This Cadillac offers plush seating, inside and out.
