Anabella: Under the Gun

     I've always wanted to get as far away as possible from the place that I was born...so that I could find crazy record finds of course! Welcome back to Stay Tuned, my friends. 

     Folks, you really just never know what you might come across out there, and I trust records more than recommendations. Vinyl doesn’t care who you follow. If you’re lucky, a record store will hand you a small miracle, wrapped in cardboard and static. That's how I wound up here: the album Fever by Annabella. Ring a bell? Maybe not. I certainly didn't, until I realized, I did...believe it or not, so do you...*cue dream sequence*

Look What the Desert Blew In?

    Twas New Years Day, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, until we remembered our annual New Years Day party our friends host and we can't not show up SO — time to get up! It's time for brunch! And what was doubly great, we were headed to the desert. Why start the new year on January 1st, when you can take a vacation and start it on January 5th? It's just a day really, and that's just how we roll. 

    A few "I remember you when you were *this* big" and "how old are you now?", a few more overly cheesy appetizers and miss-matching, buffet-style entrees, and we were set to fly. We traveled half wired, half tired, in our finest chariot and confidant, my 2005 Ford Explorer.  We had the pleasure of discovering upon arrival that we were locked out of our friends home. Needless to say, if you need a locksmith in the greater Palm Springs area, I know a few places you can call. 

    After days of visiting the gorgeous San Bernardino National Forest, trespassing in places we shouldn't, and soaking up the new-year sun, it was time to visit my favorite local spots in downtown Palm Springs.

    One of my favorite local joints is none other than Gre Records and Coffee. Gre? As in Grey? Or...Gre (Gr-EE) as in Graduate Record Examination? I have no idea. Either way, this place is amazing. This place is like being at home, if your home had someone to make you delicious drinks, fun seating options, and seemingly infinite listening material.  

     One of my favorite games to play in a record store is 1) How long until I find something I've never seen/heard of? And 2) Let's pick a record solely based on the cover. A timeless game used in libraries, tower records, and blockbusters for centuries. Some of my most favorite discoveries are from option 2. 

    I was digging in crates and came across this: Fever by Annabella. One look at the album cover and my brain said, "that one". Of course I listened. There are rules here: no reading the back or inserts, no googling/research, and no streaming...not until AFTER the first initial vinyl listen. Can you tell I'm a person who loves surprises and antici-...

 

 

...

 

 

...pation?

    Fast forward to February. I'm home, sick as a dawg, and newly deactivated from my social media accounts when suddenly I remember, "I have all this music to listen to." So, I popped on Annabella, and I really enjoyed it! It's fun record filled with 80's pop and New Wave. Aimee says it reminds her of Soft Cell, and I totally agree. Great songs and a few fun covers as well. 

Here's a beautiful photo of that day my friends visited. That's John, owner of The Soundvibe Studio I told you about in my last blog, Aimee (my cousin), and Gruff. Handsome Gruff boy, who steals this photo:

     I knew I wanted to write a blog about Anabella's album right away. I had no idea what information was coming: some intriguing, some (unfortunately) disheartening...

Bow Wow...Woah.

    Anabella Lwin was just 13 years old when she was recruited into the band Bow Wow Wow. There's quite a bit of history behind this group, so I'm going to give you some important highlights:

1) She was picked up by Malcom McLaren, former band manager of the Sex Pistols

2) Anabella was marketed as wild and untamed, and was always presented in a barefoot, primitive fashion. She has mentioned that as a child (13) she was not aware of the highly sexualized media environment she was in

3) McLaren’s larger idea of entertainment was that music, fashion, shock, and media outrage were all one performance. 

     Keep that history in mind. 1 year later, Bow Wow Wow were set to release their album "See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah, City All Over! Go Ape Crazy". The cover directly re-stages a famous 19th-century painting: Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe (“The Luncheon on the Grass”), 1863 by Édouard Manet. It caused a major scandal in Paris at the time. The shock went beyond nudity: sitting casually with fully clothed men, staring directly at the viewer, placed in a non-mythological setting. The album cover version shockingly shows Anabella in the same fashion, at just 14 years old. It's hard to know what to say. When I got this far down the rabbit hole, I became sad. See the compared images below:

                                                           At that time, the image lived inside a cultural fog where art history, fashion, punk rebellion, and the music industry’s appetite for shock all collapsed into the same gesture. The lines were far too blurred between provocation and progress. Time has stripped away that romance. What remains is a clear truth: “artistic daring” protected the adults who designed the moment, far more than the young person placed at its center. Annabella has since spoken about how complicated and unsettling that period became in hindsight. That hindsight is the real legacy of the cover: not rebellion, but a quiet reckoning with how easily a child can be turned into a symbol, before ever understanding what that means or feels like. Anabella is 59 now, has had a beautiful music career of her own, and is doing well. 

 While I'd like to end it there, I can't complete this section without mentioning that you know this band better than you think. Bow Wow Wow, believe it or not, is the band most famously known for their hit single, "I Want Candy".  The song was originally written for and performed by The Strangeloves in the 60s, followed by Bow Wow Wow in the early 80s, and again by Aaron Carter in the early 2000s.

    You can imagine my surprise as all this history unfolded before me from this, mind you, completely random record I picked up, just because I loved the album cover. This is the essence of music discovery. Sometimes the discoveries have unfortunate histories, but that history cannot be forgotten. They are the reasons we must look back on, so that we may continue to protect children from the dangers of  the industry for generations to come. 

Under the Gun

    There are some fun tracks on "Fever", featuring covers such as the famous jazz tune Fever, and a new wave version of "School's Out" (for summer/forever).  I was immediately drawn to her from the first track "War Boys".  "Under the Gun" took me by the hand and gave me reassurance that Anabella, at this point in her life, had reclaimed herself as a woman and an artist. I was perplexed to find that this album doesn't appear to be available on steaming, but just via video; fans who've uploaded recordings from their cassettes to YouTube. There are no lyrics available online. Here are some lines that stand out to me:

—"I remember, as a little girl, my mama cryin' to me 'cause I loved the gun. Pain went through me that cut like a knife. I vowed that I would get him for destroying her life" 

—"Somebody's tryna' put the pressure on. You always try and tell me where I'm going wrong." 

—"Don't want no pressure on me. Don't put me under the gun."

—"I've been traveling around the world...asking a lot of question but I get no reply...I still can't get the answers and I don't know why."

 A song like "Under the Gun", whether literally about that period or not, fits as a perfect metaphor for the pressure cooker of external expectations and limited agency she experienced. Her solo career has that quintessential 80's pop/new wave sound, and deserves not only its flowers, but to not be lost to the archives. Whoever's in charge of her music should upload her discography to streaming as soon as possible. Her story needs to be known, and her music needs to be heard! 

Oh reader...the lore on this one went so deep. I do appreciate you so much for continuing to support this blog. If you have a discovery you'd like to share or a song for me to listen to, please leave a comment or send me a message. 

 If you're reading from blogger, thank you. If you're reading from Substack, please be sure to enter your email so that you get these articles sent to your email as they are released.  

Dig on, crate diggers. 

 Thanks for reading. If you dug this post, SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK to recieve blogs direct to your email! Feel free to tip the scribbler and leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you. Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/berlyd

Listen to "Under the Gun" and the whole "Fever" album here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxhivD5_BSMTrFglFMaNuDu66pAL9dZhI

 

Jimmy Cliff: Many Rivers to Cross

    Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight, wherever you are my friends. Lunar New Year is upon us, as well as Mardi Gras. I like the holidays that aren't "The Holiday Season" ones. I like that they don't have an end-of-the-year feeling to them. There's something equally sentimental and new about it them. Actually that's very reminiscent of the way I feel when I fall in love with new-to-me music. It's a combination of something that feels familiar, while knowing I've never heard it before. That's about where I am with todays Stay Tuned discovery share. But before we jump into the music, let's find out how we got here...

    Boxes and Beats

    I am a writer, a musician, an artist, and many other things. What you may not know is, I work at a packaging company! Yes... it's a glamorous lifestyle filled with corrugated boxes, kraft paper rolls, custom tape with your companies owners dogs face, rolls of bubble wrap taller than your car, and of course, monthly birthday potlucks. We supply more products than I could ever list. I am happy here. I like my job. We are salt of the earth folk, doing our best to make a living whilst supporting each other through whatever life throws our way. It's a place we go to to support our monetary needs, but also, we have a lot of fun. Our customers can also be very interesting. We supply to companies of all kinds: instrument makers, farmers, makeup professionals, high fashion, cars, restaurants, bakeries, the list is quite literally endless. I was lucky enough to get a call from someone who needed boxes that resemble a produce box you'd get from Costco or Sysco; stable, and just tall enough to sort through Vinyl Records. 

    We chatted for a while, and of course, I needed to go for a visit. The name is Steady Beat. Pre owned vinyl, tapes, CD's and more, tucked away in the raw and charming downtown streets of San Pedro California, where I spent most of my 20's, partying with other artists and musicians to the wee hours of the morning, losing my wallet (more than once), trying to figure out who I was. It's a straight shot down the 110 South; there's something so delicious about seeing a freeway end. 

    I went with my cousin Aimee. Best friend is an understatement. After we had spent the morning in Fullerton, we figured we'd head that way to check it out, since most of our days end near the beach anyway. I was fortunate enough to come across a couple fantastic relics absolutely needed: Barry Manilow Live on vinyl (my first concert), and Robert Miles "Dreamland", a staple in the world of trance. But today, my blog isn't about my find, it's about Aimee's.

They have $1 Wednesday's by the way, where their normally $5 vinyl's are a dollar. Getchu some. 

Midnight Mass

    Some weeks have passed since our trip to Steady Beat, and the weather has changed again from January Summer to February winter. The early dark evenings bring unwanted exhaustion, but we persevere. Most nights of the week, we find ourselves walking, exploring, shopping, and most importantly, getting better at pool. And so, like the pirates we are, we head to the docks for a pint and a schmag, with our hearts open. $1 Pool Table at Naja's? My favorite.

    Something always happens when we're out. We're chatters. There's a shared, deep sense of enjoyment that Aimee and I have for meeting strangers and sparking up conversations. We met a group of guys who happened to be catching up for the first time in a year. Some local, some from other states. I love talking to transplants and finding out what brought them to this place that no one knew when I was a kid. If my family went on vacation and I said I was from Torrance, no one knew what that was. LA sure, but never Torrance. So, it's always made me curious how others end up here, especially from other states. They had one New Yorker and one from Seattle; the 2 states I love most outside of CA. 

    

    We played a few rounds, sank a few shots, missed a few more, and rode the thirsty Thursday buzz into the evening haze of this salty bar we all love. Stories were shared and laughs were had in that cold February air, until it was time to part. On the way home, Aimee gently exclaims, "Ugh I wish I had spicy chips right now," as I reached into my purse and pulled out a gloriously half eaten bag of red dye 40's best: Chester's Hot Fries. 

    

    Following her exhale of relief, she asked me to pull out a CD she grabbed from Steady Beat that I almost literally flipped out over. It's a mixed CD of a bunch of the best of roots reggae, which I've always loved: Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, Gregory Issacs, Toots and The Maytals, Junior Murvin, and more. Someday I'd like to write a thesis on the history of Reggae, and my personal connection to it, as it is one of my favorite genres. I saw on the back that legendary "Jimmy Cliff" was listed. You know, Jimmy Cliff..."I can see clearly now, the rain has gone...it's gonna be a bright, bright sun shiny day...". I was not prepared for the vibe switch we were about to endure.

    Suddenly I wasn't in a Volkswagen, I was in midnight mass, as Jimmy sang to us, "Many rivers to cross, but, I can't seem to find my way over...". We paused and turned to meet each others eyes and said, "This is beautiful." This was the most gospel track you could get on a mixed CD labeled as "Reggae". No complaints here, just pleasantly surprised. "Many Rivers To Cross" just happened to meet me at a point in my life where the cocktail mixture of lyrics, chords and vocal delivery, hit me right where I could feel it most. The silly thing is, I know Jimmy Cliff well, and yet somehow this song had completely bypassed me until now. Let us pay homage to the great Mr. Cliff, who sadly passed just last November 2025.

James Chambers

    On July 30, 1944, in Somerton, Jamaica, a boy was born, who began singing as a child. By his early teens, he was already chasing music with a drive that felt too big for a small town. From those early roots in church and local sounds, he moved to Kingston and began shaping a path that would influence generations. That boy was James Chambers, who we all know as Jimmy Cliff. 

    Cliff’s catalogue contains classics that have been sung around the world. Songs like “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” and his cherished cover of “I Can See Clearly Now” found their way into soundtracks, stages, and hearts across continents. Cliff is one of reggae's earliest international voices; a pioneer who stood beside the likes of Bob Marley in the story of the genre’s rise. His music wove together the genre's of ska, rocksteady, soul, and painfully honest storytelling: songs of struggle, joy, longing, and spiritual resilience. 

     He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 and received Jamaica’s Order of Merit;  some of music’s highest honors, and a true testament to how deeply his work resonated both at home and abroad. On November 24, 2025, at the age of 81, Jimmy Cliff passed away from complications related to a seizure and pneumonia. His contribution to the world of music will be cherished by music lovers alike for generations to come.  

We Felt You

Many rivers to cross has been covered many times by notable artist, including the following:

1) UB40 (1983)

2) Joe Cocker (1990s, various recordings)

3) Harry Nilsson (1974)

4) Elvis Costello and The Attractions (1987)

5) Oleta Adams (1994) — my personal favorite cover. 

    Rather than telling what the lyrics mean, I'm going to share some personal reflections with you:

    When I listen to music like Many Rivers to Cross, I feel understood. I feel the weight of life's balancing act, lifted, in a moment of "hallelujah". Those opening lines hit like a sigh of relief. To me, to feel understood is to drink the coolest, most refreshing glass of water, after being stranded in the desert. That's what music does for me.

     This song is not just about obstacles, it’s about the weight of trying. Trying the way pride and survival keep you going despite feeling like you can't. When the loneliness creeps in and the heartbreak is left unexplained, there’s this raw honesty that makes you pause: “Well I guess I have to try”. The so-called "quiet courage" that lives in your heart, the piece of your mind that won't let you quit because you know you can't. It used to be pain in my heart, to hear a line like "some dreadful crime”. Thinking of someone like Jimmy and who he was to this world, it’s a reminder that even the strongest spirits carry their darkest corners.

Tell someone you love them today.

Thanks for reading. If you dug this post, feel free to tip the scribbler and leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you. Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/berlyd

Listen to "Many Rivers to Cross":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjW5f7i5EwE#ddg-play

Queens of the Stone Age: Mosquito Song

 

    Well hello, my friends. I hope you’re well. I’ll keep this intro short and cut to the chase. If you are not someone who appreciates seeing reality for what it is, this blog may not be for you. This is blog number thirteen, and it is not for the faint of heart, but for lovers of truth. Not your truth. The Truth truth.

    The truth is that life is beautiful. You can define that however you like. But we are also part of the food chain, just like every other animal on this planet. The society we have built is profoundly sheltered. I say that as someone who grew up sheltered myself. And even now, as grounded and reality-based as I consider myself to be, there are still subjects that turn my stomach. My goal is not to be emotionless. My goal is to be educated about the things our culture avoids, especially death. One phrase I keep close in my personal practice is this:

I am learning that death is merely a beginning.

Mosquito Song is a dark, strange, and playful take on that reality.

Let me tell you a story.

A Gust of Reality

    I jam with my friends often. In padded studios, parking lots, and living room carpets, with whatever instruments happen to be around. We share songs we know, make up new ones, and play all the wrong notes. Jamming is a gold coin in the treasure chest of being alive. It unites us in ways words cannot touch. Hours without screens. Improvising. A piece of human existence rooted in presence. My favorite. We are not thinking about tomorrow or yesterday. We are only thinking about what we are doing and who we are doing it with. But of course, it cannot all be jams. For there are plants to burn in a small, rolled fashion, and earthly treasures to digest while breathing in the blended evening air just outside The Soundvibe Music Studio, where my good friend and owner, John, has graciously given us the gift of, “Make as much noise as you want. No one can hear you.”

If you are ever in need of a recording studio for voice work, music demos, audiobooks, podcasts, Tiny Desk submissions, or anything else related to recording, John is your guy. He is a fantastic engineer and a trusted co-pilot for creative projects. Click here: The Soundvibe Inquiry Form

    It was late in the evening on a Tuesday in February. The wind was gusting, and the energy was pulsing. In between jams my friend Tiago, a local drummer, songwriter, and fellow music confidant, picked up his guitar and began plucking. I've heard him play this song before, but often times if I don't save a song for later or write down the artist and title, I won't remember it. But, I always remember hearing it. This time I listened much more closely. 

    The guitar riff, unmistakable, and dare I say, iconic. It's sounds like a a musical ode to Scarborough Fair (Simon and Garfunkel). The structure of the song is like that of a lullaby or nursery rhyme: hypnotizing melodies — guitar and voice alike, observational comedic delivery and lyrics, and the juxtaposed nature of being melodious, and being just plain creepy, in the best reality-check kind of way. 

    He sang, "...eat you alive, All of us food that hasn't died...we all will feed the worms and the trees, so don't be shy...". I was dazed, perplexed, and curious as a wave of surprising laughter spilled from me. "That was intense," I replied. Amongst all the feelings I was having, I wasn't sure how to receive them; a bodily reaction is often a learned behavior, and for me, I know the difference between feeling and opinion. I hadn't yet formed an opinion, but I was feeling it all; the blunt yet poetic string of truths, lined up in a such a way to provoke. Sometimes I ponder the sheltered nature of our society; how death is something to cover. We embalm bodies and cover their faces with makeup that's meant to stick to skin no longer carrying the warmth of a human spirit and blood, so that they may last just long enough to see them in a casket, before we bury them in boxes in the earth. I questioned myself as to why my body reacted the way it did. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to listen to it again and again.

     I was whisked away by the depth the way I was at 17 when I heard The Wall by Pink Floyd from beginning to end for the first time. Being a highly empathetic person for me means I feel what I hear. I feel what I see, and I could feel the painful, cynical, yet honest reality in the voice. Like everything else in life, perspective is key. If I choose to see the song as morbid, then it will received as such. Personally, I'm in a place where I can hear something of this nature and appreciate it. Honesty is a lonely word, and the honest truth is that we will all die someday, and return to the earth. I love this song. It's a celebration of reality, that we are flesh, tender and supple, and without the help of housing, weaponry, clothing and other resources, we are vulnerable creatures. Not a negative take, just the truth: "...Fat and soft, pink and weak, foot and thigh, tongue and cheek. You know I'm told they'll swallow you whole, skin and bones." Okay, you've had enough of that. It's time for history!

Queens of the Desert

    Queens of the Stone Age are a rock band that came out of the desert. Formed in Palm Desert, California in 1996 by guitarist and vocalist Josh Homme, QOTSA grew out of the sun-bleached, riff-heavy rock scene that first birthed Homme’s earlier band, Kyuss. After Kyuss broke up, Homme took the desert DNA and refined it into something with grit, personifying the earth into something you can hear and feel. Over the years the lineup shifted and expanded, but Homme has remained the constant center of the project. The band’s sound is centered on heavy, hypnotic guitar riffs and deep grooves. They've never limited themselves to one mode, as they've folded in elements of alt rock, acoustic textures, lyrical surrealism, psychedelia and experimental arrangements. Their catalog is a shifting landscape; always familiar, but never entirely predictable.

    Their third studio album, Songs for the Deaf, was released on August 27, 2002 through Interscope Records, and it marked a turning point not just for the band, but for their place in rock music. On that record, they brought in Dave Grohl. Yes, thee Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Nirvana on drums, giving the album a pulse that was both massive and sharp. Songs for the Deaf  mixes heavy, riff-driven rock anthems like “No One Knows” and “Go with the Flow”, which I had unknowingly heard before I ever started writing this. At the very end of that hot highway, the road turns to "Mosquito Song”. It sits apart from its heavier companions. The background strings buzzing high and lightly, resembling mosquitos, accompanied by accordion, piano, and that quiet, unsettling lyricism. It’s not just the closing track but an exhale. 

    There’s a little fun QOTSA lore tied to this song. One of the next albums, Lullabies to Paralyze, actually got its title from a line in Mosquito Song (“Where will you run, where will you hide, lullabies to paralyze”). 

How Much Can You Stomach?

   Read this as a piece of poetic justice; a reclamation of understanding.

    “Swallow and chew, eat you alive, all of us food that hasn’t died,” isn’t just a dark hook, but an unflinching reminder of what we are. Animals. Temporary flesh, surviving, moving through a living world that will one day take us back into it. We are not above the food chain. We are simply waiting our turn in nature’s long, patient hall. 

    This song carries the simple and uncomfortable truth of how temporary we really are. It asks us, gently, relentlessly, and epically, to sit with the fact that everything alive is moving toward the same ending, and the same transformation: to go back to the earth.

When you think about it, it’s really no different than “The Circle of Life,” except one has the depth of Edgar Allan Poe, and the other, Elton John. Choose your character.

I know, I know the sun is hot

Mosquitoes come suck your blood

And leave you there all alone

Just skin and bone

When you walk among the trees

Listening to the leaves

The further I go, the less I know

The less I know

Where will you run?

Where will you hide?

Lullabies to paralyze

Fat and soft, pink and weak

Foot and thigh, tongue and cheek

You know I'm told they swallow you whole, skin and bone

Cutting boards and hanging hooks

Bloody knives, cooking books

Promising you won't feel a thing at all

Swallow and chew

Eat you alive

All of us food that hasn't died

And the knife says

Simmering, pick and pluck

Tenderize bone to dust

The sweetest grease, finest meat you'll ever taste

So you scream, whine, and yell

Supple sounds of dinner bells

We all will feed the worms and trees

So don't be shy

Swallow and chew

Eat you alive

All of us food that hasn't died

Thanks for reading. If you dug this post, feel free to tip the scribbler and leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you. Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/berlyd

Listen to "Mosquito Song": https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=H0dy-FoV4U4#ddg-play